Norway moves on Rushdie publisher attempted murder case

Norway's police on Tuesday charged various people over the attempted murder in 1993 of the Norwegian publisher of Salman Rushdie's bestselling book "The Satanic Verses".

William Nygaard, head of Norway's second largest publishing house, was shot three times outside his Oslo home on October 11, 1993 following a death sentence or fatwa issued by Iran's spiritual leader Ayatollah Khomeini which condemned Rushdie and his publishers to death, Efe news reported.

"I inform all zealous Muslims of the world that the author of the book entitled The Satanic Verses -- which has been compiled, printed and published in opposition to Islam, the Prophet, and the Quran -- and all those involved in its publication who were aware of its content are sentenced to death," the fatwa said.

The police said in a statement that they had indicted new suspects to avoid the case going cold given that Thursday will mark 25 years since the crime and technically the statue of limitations would put the case into retirement.

The police went on to say that the case was not out of date and that they were still interested in any information people could supply.

Police officials said that the people who were arrested as suspects were foreign nationals and do not live in Norway.

The fatwa quickly made Rushdie a household name and forced him into hiding. Although the fatwa is still active, Rushdie is regularly seen in public.

--IANS

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