Who is Hadi Matar? The 24-year-old who stabbed Salman Rushdie

New York state police has identified Hadi Matar as the man who stabbed Salman Rushdie at a literary event on Friday. Matar is currently in police custody. Here is what we know so far about Rushdie’s attacker:

• Hadi Matar is a 24-year-old who reportedly hails from New Jersey. His last listed address was in Fairview, a Bergen County borough in New Jersey.
• An examination of Matar’s social media revealed him to be sympathetic to Shia extremism and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps causes, a law enforcement official told NBC News. The IRGC is a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces.
• Eyewitnesses confirmed that Matar was wearing black clothing and a black mask at the time of the attack. He struck Rushdie in the beck 10 to 15 times.
• Matar reportedly posted a picture of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenei on his Facebook page. Ayatollah Khomeini is the Iranian leader who had issued a fatwa – a death sentence – against Rushdie after the publication of The Satanic Verses.
• Authorities believe that Hadi Matar was acting alone when he attacked Salman Rushdie. They are still trying to determine the motive of the attack.

Salman Rushdie, who spent years in hiding after an Iranian fatwa ordered his killing, was on a ventilator and could lose an eye following the stabbing.

The British author of "The Satanic Verses", which sparked fury among some Muslims, had to be airlifted to hospital for emergency surgery following the attack.

"Salman will likely lose one eye; the nerves in his arm were severed; and his liver was stabbed and damaged," said agent Andrew Wylie, who added that Rushdie could not speak.

(With inputs from AFP)