{"id":1607109,"date":"2022-08-15T15:25:26","date_gmt":"2022-08-15T19:25:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1607109"},"modified":"2022-08-15T15:25:44","modified_gmt":"2022-08-15T19:25:44","slug":"heres-what-we-know-about-irans-ties-to-rushdies-attempted-assassin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/heres-what-we-know-about-irans-ties-to-rushdies-attempted-assassin\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s What We Know About Iran\u2019s Ties To Rushdie\u2019s Attempted Assassin"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fheres-what-we-know-about-irans-ties-to-rushdies-attempted-assassin%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1607109&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GettyImages-1242507842-scaled-e1660587931725.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/div>\n<p>Iran bears some responsibility for the Aug. 12 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie, whose controversial novel in 1988 earned him death threats from the Iranian regime, by a Lebanese-American individual, an expert in Iranian security and politics told the Daily Caller News Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>While there is no public evidence that 24-year-old Hadi Matar carried out direct orders from Iran in <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/08\/12\/famous-author-attacked-on-stage-during-speech\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">attempting<\/a> to assassinate Rushdie, the attack bears fingerprints of involvement from a foreign intelligence service, a NATO counterterrorism official <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/88qxvz\/salman-rushdie-hadi-matar-revolutionary-guard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">told<\/a> Vice. Iran may have \u201cguided\u201d Matar into the decision to take action without explicitly mandating or supporting the operation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIran has spent time and political capital to keep this issue alive over the years,\u201d Behnam ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p>Former Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2012\/09\/17\/and-now-were-back-to-salman-rushdie-again\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">issued<\/a> a fatwa, or religious edict, calling for Rushdie\u2019s assassination in 1989 after he published his inflammatory novel, \u201cThe Satanic Verses,\u201d that Iranian leaders deemed blasphemous. Soon after, the regime-supported 15th Khordad Foundation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ifmat.org\/02\/25\/15-khordad-foundation-boosts-bounty-salman-rushdie\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">posted<\/a> a bounty for Rushdie\u2019s killing, bumping it up to $3.3 million in 2012.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who came to power in 1989, <a href=\"https:\/\/english.khamenei.ir\/news\/4634\/Ayatollah-Khamenei-s-fatwa-on-Salman-Rushdie-s-apostasy-from\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">confirmed<\/a> in 2017 that the decree\u2019s continuing validity in 2017, and again in 2019. \u201cImam Khomeini\u2019s verdict regarding Salman Rushdie is based on divine verses and just like divine verses, it is solid and irrevocable,\u201d he said, the Associated Press <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/86df2730d0a3f25972e2bb3a8c94dd02\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"rev-more-content\">\n<p>\u201cThere is no doubt in my mind\u201d that the fatwa, media support for Rushdie\u2019s killing and rewards from organizations with close affiliation to the regime played a role in Matar\u2019s assassination attempt, said Taleblu. \u201cAs a reminder, Tehran often works through carve outs and cut outs to mask its hand,\u201d he added. <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/08\/15\/j-k-rowling-death-threats-salman-rushdie-attack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>(RELATED: J.K. Rowling Receives Death Threats After Speaking Out About Attack On Salman Rushdie)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Iranian regime has denied having a hand in the attack despite claiming it was deserved, the Associated Press <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/salman-rushdie-middle-east-iran-tehran-70f0ea8cc69bc2bf226cd3ac400f9db8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a>,<\/p>\n<p>Matar\u2019s mother, Silvana Fardos, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-11110905\/Mother-alleged-Salman-Rushdie-attacker-says-son-responsible-actions.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">told<\/a> the Daily Mail that in 2018 Matar took an ill-fated trip to visit his father in Lebanon, returning moody, reclusive and seemingly more interested in Islam than before.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne time he argued with me asking why I encouraged him to get an education instead of focusing on religion. He was angry that I did not introduce him to Islam from a young age,\u201d Fardos said.<\/p>\n<p>Matar reportedly had posts venerating Iranian political leaders on his now-deleted social media accounts, CBS <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/world\/who-is-hadi-matar-nj-man-charged-with-attempted-murder-in-salman-rushdie-attack\/ar-AA10BM0H\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a>. He also carried a forged drivers\u2019 license bearing the name Hassan Mughniyah, a possible reference to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and one of its commanders, Imad Mughniyeh.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Rushdie\u2019s assailant is reportedly a 24 year old Shi\u2019ite immigrant from South Lebanon by the name of Hadi Matar. His fake driving license carried the name Hassan Mughniyah (in honor of HASSAN nasrallah + imad MUGHNIYAH?). His FB page expresses love for the Islamic Republic. \ud83d\udc47 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rJhYFJ0CHu\">pic.twitter.com\/rJhYFJ0CHu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mike (@Doranimated) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Doranimated\/status\/1558446762347610112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 13, 2022<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terrorist organization that controls the area Matar\u2019s family hailed from, denied any association with Matar or his activities, Reuters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/hezbollah-official-says-group-does-not-know-anything-about-attack-rushdie-2022-08-13\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. had inquired about Matar\u2019s travel to Lebanon to determine if Hezbollah had provided the attacker with any military training, a senior Lebanese official told Vice.<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t think it\u2019s realistic to expect someone to admit to training him to carry out an assassination, the involved groups have a long history of keeping secrets,\u201d the official said, adding that an order would not necessarily have to come straight from the highest levels of Iranian leadership for the Quds Force to instigate, explicitly or not, an assassination attempt.<\/p>\n<p>A Middle Eastern intelligence official identified \u201cclear\u201d signs of involvement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps\u2019 elite Quds Force, according to Vice. \u201cIt\u2019s unclear the extent of the involvement, if this was a directly supported assassination attempt or if it was a series of suggestions and directions in picking a target,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA 24-year-old born in the United States did not come up with Salman Rushdie as a target on his own,\u201d the official added. \u201cEven an avid consumer of Iranian propaganda would have some difficulty finding references to Rushdie compared to all the other, modern enemies, designated by the regime.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Matar pleaded not guilty to second-degree attempted murder in court Saturday and has not stated a motive, The New York Times <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The FBI said it was working with local and international partners on Rushdie\u2019s case, but declined to comment further when asked about investigations into Matar\u2019s connections to the Iranian regime.<\/p>\n<p>The Iranian Mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to the DCNF\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact <a href=\"mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Iran bears some responsibility for the Aug. 12 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie, whose controversial novel in 1988 earned him death threats from the Iranian regime, by a Lebanese-American individual,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":899,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1607109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1607109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/899"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1607109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1607109\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1607109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1607109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1607109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}