Rushdie’s attacker charged with terrorism
New York, July 23: The man who attacked author Salman Rushdie, blinding his right eye, went on trial on transnational terrorism charges in a federal court on Wednesday. Hadi Matar attacked to “fulfil the fatwa”, the Iranian religious edict demanding Rushdie’s killing because his novel ‘Satanic Verses’ was considered blasphemous by Islamic clerics, assistant federal prosecutor Timothy Lynch told the court in Buffalo. Matar was convicted last year in New York State court of attempting to murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He now faces federal terrorism charges under a separate set of laws. In the US, state and federal laws are separate, and a person can be tried on related charges for a single offence under different local and federal statutes. If convicted of the terrorism charge, Matar could face life in prison. Matar, who is a US citizen of Lebanese descent, attacked Rushdie on a stage during a literary programme in 2022 at the Chautauqua Institution, a literary and arts centre about 600 kilometres from the city. The federal trial is taking place in Buffalo, close to the Canada border. Matar has denied the conspiracy charges. (IANS)
Thai authorities hunt suspects for killing of soldiers
Bangkok, July 23: Thai authorities said Thursday they are searching for the people responsible for an attack in the country’s troubled deep south region that killed five soldiers and injured several civilians. About 10 attackers opened fire and threw pipe bombs at soldiers at a security check point near a residential area in Narathiwat province Wednesday evening before fleeing, according to the regional Internal Security Operations Command. It said six civilians were injured. Photos released by authorities showed a group identified as the attackers, dressed in black clothing and hats and riding on the back of a black pickup truck. Security officials said the truck was later found abandoned and set on fire about 21 kilometers (13 miles) away from the scene. They said the attackers had stolen three AK-47 rifles, three bullet proof vests and three mobile phones from the soldiers. Narathiwat, along with Yala and Pattani, are Thailand’s southernmost provinces and are the only ones with Muslim majorities in the predominantly Buddhist nation. (AP)
S Korea calls North’s return to dialogue
Manila, July 23: South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Thursday called on North Korea to respond to Seoul’s offers for dialogue and join efforts to promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula at a regional security forum in Manila, South Korea’s foreign ministry said. Cho made the remarks during the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), a 27-member multilateral security forum attended by the 11 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states and major regional powers, including the United States, China, Japan and Russia, Yonhap News Agency reported. The ARF is the only regional multilateral security forum in which both South and North Korea participate, but Pyongyang was absent from this year’s session for the second consecutive year. (IANS)
