Mother of Salman Rushdie Attack Suspect Says Son ‘Changed’ After Lebanon Trip

The mother of the man who attacked author Salman Rushdie last week has disowned her son, claiming that he underwent a “change” after his trip to Lebanon, according to the Daily Mail.

On Friday, 24-year-old New Jersey resident Hadi Matar rushed the stage as author Salman Rushdie prepared to give a scheduled speech at the Chautauqua Institution, stabbing him in the neck and hospitalizing him. Rushdie was in critical condition until Sunday but is expected to recover.

Since the publishing of his book The Satanic Verses in 1987, Rushdie has been a target of Islamic extremists, with the Supreme Leader of Iran keeping a $3 million bounty on his head for over 30 years. According to the New York Post, sources have confirmed that Matar’s motivation for nearly murdering Rushdie “appears to be religiously driven.”

“I feel sorry for Mr Rushdie,” Matar’s mother, Silvana Fardos told the Daily Mail.

“As I said to the FBI, I’m not going to bother talking to him again,” she said of her son. “He’s responsible for his actions.”

Regarding her son’s religious extremism, Fardos said that she did not push Islam on her children and that Matar grew deeper in his faith as he grew older, undergoing a “change” after a visit to Lebanon in 2018.

“I didn’t push my kids into religion or force anything on my son,” Fardos said. “I don’t know anyone in Iran, all my family are here. I’m living a simple life as a single mom, trying to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table for my kids.”

Matar had been visiting Lebanon to see his father and became an isolated recluse upon his return.

“I was expecting him to come back motivated, to complete school, to get his degree and a job. But instead he locked himself in the basement,” she said. “He had changed a lot, he didn’t say anything to me or his sisters for months.”

“I couldn’t tell you much about his life after that because he has isolated me since 2018. If I approach him sometimes he says hi, sometimes he just ignores me and walks away,” she added. “One 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.”

Fardos said she knew little about Salman Rushdie prior to the stabbing and that she hopes he recovers.

Matar has since pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder and assault charges.

“I am unable to comment on any other matters or discussions I’ve had with Mr. Matar since that is confidential and privileged information,” his lawyer, Nathaniel Barone, told the New York Post. “We look forward to the scheduled Preliminary Hearing on August 19, 2022 and having the opportunity to aggressively exercise Mr. Matar’s constitutional rights.”

Paul Bois joined Breitbart News in the summer of 2021 after previously working as a writer for TruthRevolt and The Daily Wire. He has written thousands of news articles on a variety of topics, from current events to pop-cultural trends. Follow him on Twitter @Paulbois39