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The man accused of stabbing Salman Rushdie said he respected Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini but would not say if he was inspired by a fatwa issued by the former Iranian leader, according to a New York Post interview published on Wednesday.
Rushdie, 75, was set to deliver a lecture on artistic freedom at the western New York venue when police say 24-year-old Matar rushed the stage and stabbed the Indian-born writer on Friday last week.
Rushdie has lived with a bounty on his head since publication of The Satanic Verses in 1988 prompted Khomeini to issue a fatwa urging Muslims to kill him.
Matar, of Fairview, New Jersey, pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault at a court appearance on Saturday, Barone has told Reuters.
Matar also told the Post he had taken a bus to Buffalo the day before the attack and then took a Lyft ride to Chautauqua.
