The man who stabbed acclaimed author Salman Rushdie on stage during a 2022 lecture in western New York has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Hadi Matar , 27, was convicted in February of attempted murder and assault after attacking Rushdie as he prepared to speak at the Chautauqua Institution .
The brutal assault left Rushdie, 77, blind in one eye and seriously injured. He was stabbed over a dozen times in the head and torso. Matar also wounded another man on stage. Though Rushdie did not attend Friday’s sentencing, he submitted a victim impact statement. He had previously testified, recounting the harrowing moment he believed he was going to die.
Before sentencing, Matar made a brief statement criticizing Rushdie and invoking free speech, calling the author a “hypocrite.” He received the maximum penalty: 25 years for the attack on Rushdie and seven years for injuring the other victim. The sentences will run concurrently, as both injuries occurred during the same incident, said Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt.
Schmidt argued that Matar had deliberately planned the attack to cause maximum harm — not just to Rushdie, but to the audience of over 1,400 people present. Defense attorney Nathaniel Barone countered that Matar had no prior criminal record and suggested a lighter sentence of 12 years, arguing the audience members were not direct victims.
Rushdie spent nearly five weeks in hospitals and rehabilitation centers following the attack. He later detailed his recovery in his 2024 memoir, Knife.
Matar, a U.S. citizen from New Jersey, is also facing a federal trial on terrorism charges. Prosecutors say the stabbing was an attempt to carry out a decades-old fatwa issued in 1989 by Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after the publication of Rushdie’s controversial novel, The Satanic Verses. The fatwa, which called for Rushdie’s death, was condemned internationally, though Iran later said it would no longer enforce it.
According to prosecutors, Matar believed the edict was still valid and claimed it had been reaffirmed by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in 2006. Matar has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of providing material support to terrorists and committing terrorism that crosses national boundaries.
Video evidence shown during the state trial captured the moment of the attack. Matar is seen approaching Rushdie from behind and stabbing him repeatedly as the audience screamed. The two struggled on stage before being separated by onlookers.
Jurors reached their guilty verdict after less than two hours of deliberation.
The brutal assault left Rushdie, 77, blind in one eye and seriously injured. He was stabbed over a dozen times in the head and torso. Matar also wounded another man on stage. Though Rushdie did not attend Friday’s sentencing, he submitted a victim impact statement. He had previously testified, recounting the harrowing moment he believed he was going to die.
Before sentencing, Matar made a brief statement criticizing Rushdie and invoking free speech, calling the author a “hypocrite.” He received the maximum penalty: 25 years for the attack on Rushdie and seven years for injuring the other victim. The sentences will run concurrently, as both injuries occurred during the same incident, said Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt.
Schmidt argued that Matar had deliberately planned the attack to cause maximum harm — not just to Rushdie, but to the audience of over 1,400 people present. Defense attorney Nathaniel Barone countered that Matar had no prior criminal record and suggested a lighter sentence of 12 years, arguing the audience members were not direct victims.
Rushdie spent nearly five weeks in hospitals and rehabilitation centers following the attack. He later detailed his recovery in his 2024 memoir, Knife.
Matar, a U.S. citizen from New Jersey, is also facing a federal trial on terrorism charges. Prosecutors say the stabbing was an attempt to carry out a decades-old fatwa issued in 1989 by Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after the publication of Rushdie’s controversial novel, The Satanic Verses. The fatwa, which called for Rushdie’s death, was condemned internationally, though Iran later said it would no longer enforce it.
According to prosecutors, Matar believed the edict was still valid and claimed it had been reaffirmed by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in 2006. Matar has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of providing material support to terrorists and committing terrorism that crosses national boundaries.
Video evidence shown during the state trial captured the moment of the attack. Matar is seen approaching Rushdie from behind and stabbing him repeatedly as the audience screamed. The two struggled on stage before being separated by onlookers.
Jurors reached their guilty verdict after less than two hours of deliberation.
You may also like
Alarm ringing in Himalayas: Environment minister Bhupender Yadav
K'taka BJP leaders meet SP over tribal girl's death, warn police against cover-up
CJI chides bar associations for boycotting Justice Bela Trivedi farewell
Aston Villa fans convinced Emi Martinez is leaving club after actions at final whistle
Darren Till can't stop dropping C-bomb in X-rated post-fight rant
