Who Is Hadi Matar, The Man Who Attacked Salman Rushdie?

Salman Rushdie was attacked by a man named Hadi Matar during an event in New York on August 12.

Matar is said to be 24-years-old, and a resident of Fairview in New Jersey. The police have said that Matar had a pass to the event.

PTI reported that from his social media accounts he seems to be sympathetic to "Shia extremism" and the causes of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC).

The investigators are yet to find a definitive link to the IRGC and have roped in the FBI to find more on the assailant.

The motive of the attack has not yet been established. The Iranian conservative media hailed Matar for his attack on Rushdie.

Rushdie's fourth novel, 'The Satanic Verses' received backlash across various countries with large Muslim communities.

The book was banned in 13 countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Singapore.

The former Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwā against Rushdie for "insulting Islam" through 'The Satanic Verses.