Salman Rushdie says 'pleased' with attacker's jail sentence
by Naharnet Newsdesk 26 May 2025, 16:24
Salman Rushdie said Monday he was "pleased" with the maximum 25-year jail sentence handed to a man who tried to kill him with a knife at a New York cultural center in 2022.
"I was pleased that he got the maximum available, and hopefully he uses it to reflect upon his deeds," Rushdie told BBC radio in an interview.
Hadi Matar was sentenced to 25 years in a New York court on May 16 after being convicted of attempted murder and assault.
Video footage played during the trial showed Matar rushing onto stage and plunging a knife into Rushdie in the 2022 attack which left the British-American author blind in one eye.
Last year, Rushdie published a memoir recounting the near-death experience called "Knife", in which he has an imagined conversation with Matar.
"If I was to really meet him... I wouldn't get very much out of him," Rushdie told the BBC. "I doubt that he would open his heart to me."
"And so I thought, well, I could open it by myself. I'd probably do it better than a real conversation would," said the author, who did not attend the sentencing earlier this month.
Rushdie has for decades lived under the shadow of Iran's 1989 fatwa calling for his murder over alleged blasphemy in his novel "The Satanic Verses".
Matar previously told media he had only read two pages of "The Satanic Verses" but believed the author had "attacked Islam".
Rushdie, who was born in Mumbai but moved to England as a boy, was propelled into the spotlight with the Booker Prize-winning "Midnight's Children" (1981) based in post-independence India.
His publisher announced in March that "The Eleventh Hour," a collection of short stories examining themes and places of interest to Rushdie, will be released on November 4, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Manar
17 hours ago
- Al Manar
US Begins Troop Drawdown in Syria, Plans to Retain One Military Base: Envoy
The United States has begun scaling back its military presence in Syria and plans to retain only one base, according to Tom Barrack, the US envoy to Syria. In an interview with Turkey's NTV on Monday night, Barrack stated, 'The United States has gone from eight bases to five, then three — and we will likely keep only one.' Field sources confirmed that the US-led coalition has completed a near-total withdrawal from its military installations in Syria's Deir Ezzor province, in line with a Pentagon decision to reduce troop numbers from approximately 2,000 to under 1,000. American military convoys reportedly departed key bases in recent hours, including the Conoco Gas Facility and the Al-Omar oil field in northern and eastern Deir Ezzor. A smaller post near the border town of Al-Baghouz was also evacuated. The withdrawal, which had been delayed for nearly two weeks, is believed to reflect Washington's hesitation amid rising ISIL Takfiri group activity in areas held by both the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government. The drawdown officially began on May 18 but accelerated over the past 48 hours, with convoys of armored vehicles and logistical equipment leaving the region under heavy US aerial cover. According to U-News Agency, the coalition has fully vacated the Conoco Gas Facility—also known as the 'Euphrates Base'—while a limited contingent remains at the Al-Omar site, dubbed the 'Green Village.' That base is also expected to be vacated in the coming days. To fill the security vacuum, the SDF has reportedly deployed special commando units, anticipating increased ISIS attacks following the US withdrawal. Meanwhile, US forces have repositioned to Al-Shaddadi in southern Hasakah province, roughly 100 kilometers from the Conoco base, to continue providing intelligence and logistical support to the SDF. Sources suggest the current withdrawal may last up to three months, with potential further reductions that could bring US troop levels in Syria down to around 500 by year's end. In parallel with the troop drawdown, committees representing the Syrian transitional authorities and the SDF have begun implementing the terms of the March 10 agreement—reached during the fourth round of negotiations after a month-long suspension. According to local sources, preparations are underway in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood to begin prisoner, wounded, and remains exchanges. Joint security units have also been deployed in both Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in preparation for their administrative integration into the Syrian government's Aleppo City Council. The exchange deal involves more than 400 individuals—marking the largest such operation since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict. Recently, 178 SDF members, including eight female fighters from the Women's Protection Units, were released in return for 250 detainees from Turkish-backed security and military units. Upcoming phases are expected to include the release of Syrian civilians held in al-Hol camp, particularly those from government-controlled areas, as well as the exchange of combatant remains following recent clashes near the Tishreen Dam. Observers believe American pressure has been instrumental in pushing both sides to move forward with the agreement, despite lingering disputes over decentralization and the future integration of the SDF into Syria's national military structure. Sources indicate that Washington is likely to continue pressuring both Damascus and the SDF to advance the political settlement process while keeping the final governance model for northeast Syria a matter of ongoing negotiation amid divergent positions.
Nahar Net
21 hours ago
- Nahar Net
Suspect faces US hate charges after fire attack on Jewish protest
by Naharnet Newsdesk 03 June 2025, 11:06 A man posing as a gardener to get close to a group in Boulder holding their weekly demonstration for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza planned to kill them all with Molotov cocktails, authorities said Monday. But he had second thoughts and only threw two out of the 18 incendiary devices he had into the group of about 20 people, yelling "Free Palestine" and accidentally burning himself, police said. Twelve people were injured in the Sunday attack. He had gas in a backpack sprayer but told investigators he didn't spray it on anyone but himself "because he had planned on dying." "He said he had to do it, he should do it, and he would not forgive himself if he did not do it," police wrote in an affidavit. He didn't carry out his full plan "because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before." Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, planned the attack for more than a year and specifically targeted what he described as a "Zionist group," authorities said in court papers charging him with a federal hate crime. The suspect's first name also was spelled Mohammed in some court documents. "When he was interviewed about the attack, he said he wanted them all to die, he had no regrets and he would go back and do it again," Acting U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Grewell for the District of Colorado said during a press conference Monday. Federal and state prosecutors filed separate criminal cases against Soliman, charging him with a hate crime and attempted murder, respectively. He faces additional state charges related to the incendiary devices, and more charges are possible in federal court, where the Justice Department will seek a grand jury indictment. During a state court hearing Monday, Soliman appeared briefly via a video link from the Boulder County Jail wearing an orange jumpsuit. Another court hearing is set for Thursday. Soliman is being held on a $10 million, cash-only bond, prosecutors said. An FBI affidavit says Soliman confessed to the attack after being taken into custody Sunday and told the police he was driven by a desire "to kill all Zionist people," a reference to the movement to establish and protect a Jewish state in Israel. Soliman's attorney, public defender Kathryn Herold, declined to comment after the hearing. Soliman was living in the U.S. illegally after entering the country in August 2022 on a B2 visa that expired in February 2023, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a post on the social platform X. The burst of violence at the popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall in downtown Boulder unfolded against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war that continues to inflame global tensions and has contributed to a spike in antisemitic violence in the United States. The attack happened on the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot and barely a week after a man who also yelled "Free Palestine" was charged with fatally shooting two Israeli embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington. Six victims hospitalized The victims who were wounded range in age from 52 to 88, and the injuries spanned from serious to minor, officials said. All four of the latest victims had what police described as minor injuries. Six of the injured were taken to hospitals, and four have since been released, said Miri Kornfeld, a Denver-based organizer connected to the group. She said the clothing of one of those who remains hospitalized caught on fire. The volunteer group called Run For Their Lives was concluding their weekly demonstration when video from the scene shows a witness shouting, "He's right there. He's throwing Molotov cocktails." A police officer with his gun drawn advances on a bare-chested suspect who is holding containers in each hand. Witness Alex Osante of San Diego said he was across the pedestrian mall when he heard the crash of a bottle breaking and a "boom" followed by people yelling and screaming. In video of the scene captured by Osante, people could be seen pouring water on a woman lying on the ground who Osante said had caught on fire during the attack. Molotov cocktails found Soliman said he dressed up like gardener with an orange vest in order to get as close to the group as possible, police wrote. Osante said that after the suspect threw the two incendiary devices, apparently catching himself on fire as he threw the second, he took off his shirt and what appeared to be a bulletproof vest before the police arrived. The man dropped to the ground and was arrested without any apparent resistance in the video Osante filmed. District Attorney Michael Dougherty said 16 unused Molotov cocktails were recovered by law enforcement. The devices were made up of glass wine carafe bottles or jars with clear liquid and red rags hanging out of the them, the FBI said. Soliman told investigators he constructed the devices after doing research on YouTube and buying the ingredients. "He stated that he had been planning the attack for a year and was waiting until after his daughter graduated to conduct the attack," the affidavit says. Soliman also told investigators he took a concealed carry class and tried to buy a gun but was denied because he is not a legal U.S. citizen. Suspect hospitalized after attack Authorities said they believe Soliman acted alone. He was also injured and taken to a hospital. Authorities did not elaborate on the nature of his injuries, but a booking photo showed him with a large bandage over one ear. In video and photos shot right after the attack by a woman at the gathering, Soliman can be seen pacing without his shirt on with what appears to be burns down one of his arms. He and a small group of people around him are screaming at each other, with some witnesses filming him. Soliman, who was born in Egypt, moved to Colorado Springs three years ago, where he lived with his wife and five kids, according to state court documents. He previously spent 17 years living in Kuwait. McLaughlin said Soliman filed for asylum in September 2022 and was granted a work authorization in March 2023 that had expired. DHS did not immediately respond to requests for additional information. Shameka Pruiett knew Soliman and his wife as kindly neighbors with three young kids and two teenagers who'd play with Pruiett's kids. Another neighbor, Kierra Johnson, said she could often hear shouting at night from his apartment and once called police because of the screaming and yelling. On Sunday, Pruiett saw law enforcement vehicles waiting on the street throughout the day until the evening, when they spoke through a megaphone telling anyone in Soliman's home to come out. Nobody came out and it did not appear anyone was inside, said Pruiett.
Nahar Net
2 days ago
- Nahar Net
Gaza rescuers say 14 killed in Israeli strike on home in Jabalia
by Naharnet Newsdesk 4 hours Gaza's civil defense agency said an Israeli strike on a home in the northern town of Jabalia killed 14 people on Monday. "The number of martyrs from the targeting of the Al-Bursh family home has risen to 14, including six children and three women, in addition to more than 20 missing individuals still under the rubble," agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.
