Hadi Matar, 27, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the attempted murder of author Salman Rushdie during a 2022 lecture in New York, where he stabbed Rushdie multiple times, resulting in the author losing sight in one eye. Matar was found guilty of attempted murder and assault in February. Rushdie, who did not attend the sentencing, provided a victim impact statement detailing his traumatic experience and his belief that he was dying during the attack.
At the sentencing, Matar addressed the court, criticizing Rushdie and claiming the author disrespects others and bullies them. Matar’s sentence includes seven additional years for wounding another person during the attack, with both sentences to run concurrently. Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt emphasized the premeditated nature of the attack and its impact on the audience present, which numbered 1,400 people. In contrast, Matar’s public defender argued for a 12-year sentence, suggesting that the audience should not be considered victims and highlighting Matar’s otherwise clean record.
Rushdie’s recovery from the attack included 17 days in a Pennsylvania hospital followed by rehabilitation in New York City, details of which he later recounted in his memoir, “Knife.” Matar now faces a federal trial on terrorism charges related to the attack, as authorities claim he acted in accordance with a fatwa issued in 1989 by Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, calling for Rushdie’s death over perceived blasphemy in “The Satanic Verses.” This trial will focus on Matar’s motives, which prosecutors allege were influenced by Hezbollah and the fatwa.
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