Man Accused of Stabbing , Salman Rushdie , Pleads Not Guilty.<br />On August 18, the man accused of stabbing <br />award-winning author Salman Rushdie <br />pleaded not guilty in a New York courtroom.<br />CNN reports that 24-year-old <br />Hadi Matar faces charges of second-degree <br />attempted murder and second-degree assault.<br />According to prosecutors on the case, <br />the attempted murder charge carries <br />a penalty of up to 25 years in prison. .<br />The assault charge, which relates to <br />another speaker injured in the attack, <br />would carry up to seven years in prison.<br />On August 12, Rushdie was about to give <br />a lecture when an assailant jumped <br />on stage and repeatedly stabbed him.<br />Authorities said the 75-year-old author suffered three <br />stab wounds to his neck, four stab wounds to his <br />stomach and injuries to his eye, chest and thigh.<br />Ralph Henry Reese, another speaker <br />at the event, was also taken to a local hospital <br />after suffering a facial injury in the attack.<br />CNN reports that Rushdie has previously <br />received death threats for his 1988 <br />satirical novel, 'The Satanic Verses.'.<br />In 1989, late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini <br />described the book as an insult to Islam and issued <br />a religious decree, or fatwa, calling for Rushdie's death.<br />In 1989, late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini <br />described the book as an insult to Islam and issued <br />a religious decree, or fatwa, calling for Rushdie's death.<br />Rushdie has lived under British protection <br />since the fatwa calling for his death <br />was issued over 30 years ago.<br />Appalled that Sir Salman Rushdie <br />has been stabbed while exercising <br />a right we should never cease to defend. , Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister, via CNN
