Officials are looking through tens of thousands of pieces of evidence in the investigation surrounding the stabbing of bestselling author Salman Rushdie last month.
Hadi Matar, 24, is accused of stabbing Rushdie roughly a dozen times at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York and faces charges of assault and second-degree attempted murder. He pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.
The attack followed decades of violent threats made against the author for writing the book, The Satanic Verses. In 1989, then-Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for the death of Rushdie and his publishers.
The August attack left Rushdie with severe injuries, including the likely loss of an eye, severed nerves and a damaged liver, his agent Andrew Wylie told The New York Times.
Rushdie’s condition, as of mid-August, was “headed in the right direction,” but his recovery will be long, Wylie said.
Author Stephen King shared a message on Wednesday asking fans to keep Rushdie in their thoughts.
On Wednesday, Chautauqua County district attorney Jason Schmidt informed a judge that his office would like more time ― at least 30 more days ― to examine the more than 30,000 files and exhibits connected to the attack. The evidence, according to The New York Times, includes police reports, photos, videos and witness statements.
Schmidt added that police were still investigating to see if the accused stabber worked alone or if he should face additional charges.
HuffPost reached out to Wylie for an update on Rushdie’s condition.Matar is set to return to court on Sept. 13. (HuffPost)
