Photo: Global Look Press
Islamic Guard Corps revolution (IRGC, the elite units of the Iranian Armed Forces) must be recognized as a terrorist organization, said British Prime Minister candidate Rishi Sunak.
In an interview with the Telegraph newspaper, he commented on the attack on the British writer of Indian origin, Salman Rushdie. Rushdie was allegedly assaulted by Fairview, New Jersey resident Hadi Matar, 24. The attacker's motives and nationality are still unknown, the police are working on them together with the FBI and are also investigating whether the detainee has a criminal past.
Sunak called the attack on Rushdie a “wake-up call for the West” and in his opinion, Iran's reaction a pretext to increase pressure on the IRGC. Earlier, Iranian MP Malek Shariati suggested that Iran could be behind the attack on Rushdie. NBC News, citing a source, reported that Matar was sympathetic to the IRGC, according to preliminary data.
Sunak also said that sanctions against Iran should be even tougher.
Sir Ahmed Salmaan Rushdie is British writer of Indian origin. Booker Prize winner in 1981 for Midnight's Children. Critics classify the writer as a magical realist. His fourth novel, The Satanic Verses (1988), was the subject of a major scandal that sparked protests by Muslims in several countries. He began receiving threats, including a fatwa issued on February 14, 1989 by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini calling for his assassination. The British government took Salman Rushdie under protection.