A Facebook account linked to the suspect by law enforcement officials cited by NBC News posted photos of Soleimani — killed in a 2020 U.S. drone strike — as well as Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini, who issued Rushdie’s 1989 fatwa. , as well as his successor, Ayatollah Khamenei.
The account was taken down late Friday evening.
There are no definitive links to the IRGC’s causes, but an initial intelligence assessment indicates it sympathizes with the Iranian government group, an official told NBC.
The British author has lived under the shadow of a fatwa imposed 33 years ago after the publication of his novel The Satanic Verses, which many Muslims consider blasphemous.
Iran’s late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989 called for Rushdie’s death, while in 2012 an Iranian religious foundation raised the bounty on Rushdie’s head to $3.3m (£2.7m).
“Matar is a devout Muslim who talks about kindness”
Officers at Mr Matar’s home were seen talking to a woman believed to be his sister, but the family declined to speak to the media.
Neighbors on the leafy, single-family street described a quiet family that moved in a few years ago. Some said they believed the Matar were from Lebanon.
Wilbur Izza said the neighborhood is not particularly cohesive and that it is quite ethnically mixed, with residents moving in and out of the area frequently.
Add Comment