Fri May 16 16:15:57 UTC 2025: **Rushdie Attacker Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison**
**New York** – Hadi Matar, the 27-year-old man convicted of the 2022 on-stage stabbing of author Salman Rushdie, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Friday. A jury found Matar guilty of attempted murder and assault in February.
The attack at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York left Rushdie blind in one eye. In a victim impact statement, Rushdie, 77, recounted the attack, describing how he believed he was dying as Matar repeatedly stabbed him during his introduction.
Before sentencing, Matar addressed the court, calling Rushdie a “hypocrite” and accusing him of bullying.
Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt requested the maximum sentence, arguing that Matar deliberately designed the attack to inflict maximum damage on Rushdie and the community. The defense argued for a 12-year sentence, highlighting Matar’s lack of prior criminal record and disputing the audience being considered victims.
Rushdie, author of “Midnight’s Children,” detailed his recovery in his 2024 memoir, “Knife.”
Matar also faces a federal trial on terrorism-related charges, focusing on his alleged motive in carrying out the decades-old fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death, issued after the publication of Rushdie’s novel, “The Satanic Verses.” Authorities say Matar, a U.S. citizen, was attempting to provide material support to Hezbollah. He has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.
First Piper 