Salman Rushdie’s attacker denied bail, choose bars legal professionals from giving interviews

A choose refused to grant bail Thursday to the person accused of attempting to kill Salman Rushdie because the acclaimed creator ready to present a chat in western New York.

Hadi Matar, 24, appeared in a western New York courtroom after a grand jury indicted him on prices that he rushed the stage on the Chautauqua Establishment and stabbed Rushdie a number of occasions in entrance of a horrified crowd.

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Wearing a black and white jail uniform, Matar stayed quiet in the course of the listening to whereas his lawyer unsuccessfully tried to influence the choose that he must be launched whereas he awaited trial. Public defender Nathaniel Barone stated Matar had no felony file and would not flee the nation if launched.

Barone additionally requested the choose to do one thing to cease reporters from attempting to contact Matar on the Chautauqua County jail. The lawyer stated the jail had obtained “a number of hundred cellphone calls” from individuals attempting to succeed in Matar.

A few of that media outreach resulted in Matar giving a quick interview to The New York Submit, by which he talked about disliking Rushdie and praised Iran’s late supreme chief, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Khomeini issued an edict in 1989 demanding Rushdie’s loss of life over his novel “The Satanic Verses,” which some Muslims take into account blasphemous. A semiofficial Iranian basis had posted a bounty of over $3 million.

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Matar’s lawyer complained that the media protection may doubtlessly result in a biased jury.

“He is entitled to a good trial. He is entitled to due course of, it doesn’t matter what he is accused of,” Barone stated.

Decide David Foley declined that request, however he ordered the legal professionals concerned within the case to not give interviews.

“No talking to the press till we’ve resolved this situation,” the choose stated.

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Rushdie, 75, is getting remedy in a Pennsylvania hospital for extreme wounds. His literary agent, Andrew Wylie, has stated Rushdie had a broken liver and severed nerves in an arm, and will lose an eye fixed.

Chautauqua County District Lawyer Jason Schmidt known as the assault “preplanned.”

The creator had simply taken the stage on the usually tranquil lakeside retreat for a dialogue of protections for writers in exile and freedom of expression when Matar jumped onstage.

Henry Reese, 73, the cofounder of Pittsburgh’s Metropolis of Asylum, was onstage with Rushdie and suffered a gash to his brow, bruising and different minor accidents.

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Matar, who lived in Fairview, New Jersey, together with his mom, is charged with tried homicide and assault. He may get many years in jail if convicted. He has pleaded not responsible.