Salman Rushdie, who was stabbed repeatedly at a public appearance in New York state, and his supporters are to blame for the attack, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson has said.
Freedom of speech did not justify Rushdie’s insults upon religion in his writing, Nasser Kanaani said in a press briefing on Monday. Iran has no other information about Rushdie’s alleged assailant except what has appeared in media, he added.
Vice News reported on Sunday that, before his arrest, the suspect Hadi Matar, allegedly had contact at some point with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, a branch of Iran’s military, citing European and Middle Eastern intelligence sources. The report also said there was no evidence that Iranian officials were involved in organising the attack on Rushdie.
The prize-winning writer spent years under police protection after Iranian leaders called for Rushdie’s killing over his portrayal of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad in his novel The Satanic Verses.
He was about to be interviewed as part of a lecture series on Friday when a man rushed the stage and stabbed him repeatedly.
Credit: theguardian.com
