Hezbollah official says group knows nothing of Rushdie attack

By: News Team

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An official with the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah said on Saturday that the group did not have any additional information about the stabbing attack on novelist Salman Rushdie.

“We don’t know anything about this issue so we won’t comment,” the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Hezbollah is supported by Iran, whose former supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or religious edict, in 1988 urging Muslims to kill Rushdie for blasphemy.

The alleged shooter was identified by police as Hadi Matar, 24, of New Jersey. Matar is originally from Lebanon and his family comes from the southern city of Yaroun, local mayor Ali Tehfe told Reuters.

As he stated, the parents immigrated to the United States and Matar was born and raised there.

Asked if Matar or his parents were affiliated with or supported Hezbollah, Tehfe said he had “no information” about the parents’ or Matar’s political views, as they lived abroad.

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