A New Jersey man convicted of attacking author Salman Rushdie received a 25-year prison sentence on Friday. Hadi Matar, aged 27, was sentenced by the Chautauqua County Court after being found guilty of attempted murder in the second degree. The attack occurred in August 2022 during a literary event in western New York.
Matar stabbed Rushdie multiple times on stage, causing lasting injuries. The author permanently lost vision in his right eye and suffered nerve damage to his left hand. Rushdie also sustained injuries to his liver and intestines.
Details of the Sentencing
Matar also received a seven-year sentence for assaulting Henry Reese, the event moderator. The court ruled that both sentences would run concurrently. Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt confirmed the ruling.
Schmidt said, “He designed this attack so that he could inflict the most amount of damage, not just upon Mr Rushdie, but upon this community, upon the 1,400 people who were there to watch it.” He added, “Matar in effect chose this maximum sentencing.”
Courtroom Statements and Reactions
Before sentencing, Matar addressed the court. He said, “Salman Rushdie wants to disrespect other people… He wants to be a bully, he wants to bully other people. I don’t agree with that.”
Rushdie did not attend the sentencing. During the trial, he described the attack in detail. Speaking from the stand in February, he said, “I became aware of a great quantity of blood I was lying in. My sense of time was quite cloudy, I was in pain from my eye and hand, and it occurred to me quite clearly I was dying.”
Trial Overview and Evidence
The trial lasted two weeks. Prosecutors said Matar stabbed Rushdie 15 times, targeting his face, neck, chest, torso, and thigh. Schmidt told the jury, “There were a lot of people around that day but there was only one person who was targeted.”
Rushdie testified that he initially thought he had been punched, not stabbed. He described Matar’s eyes as “dark and seemed very ferocious.”
Defence Argument and Background
Public defender Nathaniel Barone disputed the prosecution’s claims. He said Matar had no prior criminal record. Barone stated, “Every day since then, for the last couple of years, this case has been an international publicity sponge. There was no presumption, ever, of innocence for Mr Matar from the very beginning.”
Matar pleaded not guilty and chose not to testify. His defence team did not call any witnesses. In a 2022 interview with the New York Post, Matar said, “I don’t think he’s a very good person. He’s someone who attacked Islam.” He also praised Iran’s former supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini for calling for Rushdie’s execution.
Attack’s Origins and Motivations
Matar’s motivation was linked to a 2006 speech by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. In that speech, Nasrallah supported the 1989 fatwa issued by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini. The fatwa followed Rushdie’s publication of The Satanic Verses.
Iranian religious leaders condemned the book as blasphemous. Matar later admitted to reading only “a couple pages” of the novel. The publication had forced Rushdie into hiding for nine years.
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Impact on Salman Rushdie
Rushdie, now 77, later wrote about the attack and his recovery in Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder. In a recent interview before the sentencing, Rushdie said his life had felt “relatively normal” before the attack.
The author suffered permanent damage to his right eye. His left hand remains paralysed due to nerve injuries.
Public and Legal Response
The attack gained global attention and reignited debate over free speech and religious sensitivity. Prosecutors emphasised the premeditated nature of the assault. Schmidt said the attack was deliberately designed to cause fear beyond physical harm.
Matar’s sentence closes a high-profile case that lasted nearly three years. Legal experts said the ruling sends a strong message on violent acts at public events. The concurrent sentencing means Matar will serve a maximum of 25 years in prison.
The court session ended without Rushdie present. The literary world continues to respond to the attack and its long-term effects on one of its most recognised voices.
