A photo from “Hadi Matar, suspect in Salman Rushdie stabbing, pleads not guilty to attempted murder, assault” (New York Post):
The article gives some additional detail regarding this attendee of a mostly peaceful literary event:
Hadi Matar, 24, was charged with attempted murder and assault and entered the plea during a proceeding at the Chautauqua County Courthouse…
He’s 24 years old and charged with attempted murder, according to the newspaper. Shouldn’t a potential SARS-CoV-2 infection be the least of his worries? (And isn’t that a proven-useless cloth mask, in any case?)
I can only reasonably guess what I would have done if I had been in the audience when it happened. I don’t know because it’s New York State and of course, carrying a concealed weapon there is deeply frowned upon and it looks as though Rushdie didn’t have one near to hand. This looks like it was clearly a situation where “death or great bodily harm” was clearly intended by the attacker, and it wouldn’t have been illegal or immoral to shoot him.
What are anyone’s guesses about whether Rushdie will apply for a CCW permit in the future? It’s tough to get one in NYS. His wounds suggest that Matar didn’t intend for him to live through the attack, and to my way of thinking it was another “soft target” situation where the attacker had the upper hand and almost succeeded in killing him as a result because the police couldn’t protect him.
I vividly remember the initial controversy surrounding his book and the subsequent fatwa, which Dennis Miller did a bit about on (IIRC) SNL ending: “Someone who is in a RUSH to DIE.” It looks like it took a long time though, and the attacker was only 24 years old, so he wasn’t even around at the time the book was published, and I’m pretty sure he has never seen Dennis Miller’s skit.
As far as the mask is concerned: this guy is now in protective custody. He’s in a more secure and controlled environment than he has probably ever been, hence the mask, because at this point protecting HIS life is (nearly) paramount.
Aside: After this incident, I think Rushdie could supply a very GOOD REASON why he needs to be able to carry a weapon on his person. I don’t think he’ll do it, though. It doesn’t come with the territory he lives in. I’m glad he’s getting the best possible medical care, which has probably saved his life. I do think he should reconsider; he’s said in the past that he didn’t enjoy having a security detail around him. OK, well, at least protect yourself.
He kind of put himself out on this limb, and I think he should reconsider his right to protect himself at the very least.
That cop waited his whole life for that photo op.
And he blew it! He would have looked much tougher to his old high school buddies if he had hands on w/ Matar’s hand behind his back and wrenching them upwards. Instead he looks like he’s daydreaming out the window thinking about what he’s going to have for lunch.
I should also add that several other people associated with the book that drew the fatwa were killed over the years. To me at least, that would have been a pretty clear signal that protecting oneself isn’t a bad thing to do. But Rushdie is a much more complicated and intricate thinker than I am and possesses a much more subtle mind, so I cannot possibly fathom why he doesn’t do it.
It is interesting that the press, even of the European variety, is mentioning the word “Fatwa” again. By contrast, in 2021 there was essentially an information embargo around Islamist knife attacks, but one could still get accurate information from the Israeli press:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/german-police-say-several-killed-in-knife-attack-in-wuerzburg/
I have to ask. Did Hadi Matar picked this own mask for himself, if so, why didn’t he pick one with Islamic verse on the mask? If our government picked it for him, why didn’t they give him one with a #LoveIsLove printed on it?