"Khomeini was a great man": Rushdie's stabber was interviewed for the first time since his arrest
In an interview with the "New York Post" newspaper, Hadi Mater denied that he was in contact with Iran's Revolutionary Guards, and refused to say whether the fatwa issued by Khomeini calling for the killing of Rushdie was the inspiration for the writer's attempted murder.
"I don't like him that much, he attacked the belief system of Islam," Mater said of Rushdie
news agencies
08/18/2022
Thursday, August 18, 2022, 02:14 Updated: 07:42
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On video: the writer Salman Rushdie, author of the book "The Devil's Verses", was stabbed on stage at a conference in New York (Reuters)
Hadi Mater, who stabbed writer Salman Rushdie, said yesterday in an interview with the "New York Post" from the detention center that he admires Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the Iranian revolution.
However, he refused to say whether the fatwa issued by Khomeini against Rushdie served as his inspiration for the act.
In an interview published yesterday (Wednesday), Mater said that the idea to go to the place where he stabbed Rushdie arose when he saw a tweet on Twitter that announced the event at the Chautauqua Institute in New York state.
The 75-year-old Rushdie was scheduled to give a lecture on artistic freedom when the 24-year-old Mater burst onto the stage and stabbed him last Friday.
He told the newspaper that he arrived in the city of Buffalo by bus, and from there hitchhiked to Chautauqua.
Rushdie's life has been in danger since he published his book in 1988, in which Khomeini issued the fatwa calling for his death.
Watch Rushdie's videos on YouTube.
Hadi Mater (Photo: Reuters)
"I respect the Ayatollah. I think he is a great person," Mater said, "that's all I'm willing to say about that."
He denied allegations that he was in contact with Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
About Rushdie he said: "I don't like him that much. He is a person who attacked Islam. He attacked his belief system."
According to him, he also watched Rushdie's videos on YouTube.
Mater's lawyer said he was unaware that the New York Post had been in contact with his client.
"I did not authorize any external party, with or without the assistance of the government, to contact my client," said lawyer Nathaniel Baron.
Mater, a resident of Fairview, New Jersey, denied the charges against him of attempted murder and assault.
He is scheduled to appear before a jury this week for the start of his trial.
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