A New Jersey man who stabbed and partially blinded renowned author Sir Salman Rushdie during a live speaking event in New York has been sentenced to 25 years in prison — the maximum penalty allowed.
Hadi Matar, 27, was found guilty of second-degree attempted murder and assault earlier this year for the 2022 attack, which occurred as Rushdie was addressing an audience at the Chautauqua Institution, a centre for arts and education. The jury delivered its verdict in February after a two-week trial.
Rushdie, who was 75 at the time, was stabbed approximately 15 times in the face, neck, chest, and thigh. The violent assault left him blind in one eye, with a damaged liver and a paralysed hand due to nerve injury.
The attack shocked the world and came 35 years after the publication of The Satanic Verses, Rushdie’s controversial novel that led to a fatwa by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini and forced the author into hiding for nearly a decade.
Matar, dressed in jail attire and wearing handcuffs, addressed the court on Friday before sentencing. He showed no remorse, instead calling Rushdie a “bully” and “hypocrite,” and accused him of disrespecting others under the guise of free speech.
Judge David Foley handed down the maximum sentence and said he feared Matar might reoffend. “What prevents you from doing this again?” he asked. The judge also condemned the fact that Matar targeted a venue that stands as a symbol of free expression.
The attack was witnessed by over 1,400 people, including Henry Reese, who was on stage moderating the session and was also injured. Matar received an additional seven-year sentence for the assault on Reese, to be served concurrently with the attempted murder sentence.
Prosecutors described the stabbing as a “premeditated, targeted attack,” and slow-motion footage shown in court captured Matar rushing the stage and launching the knife assault. A trauma surgeon testified that Rushdie would have died without immediate medical help.
Rushdie did not attend the sentencing but submitted a victim impact statement. In previous interviews, he recalled believing he was dying as he lay in a pool of his own blood.
Matar’s lawyer argued for a 12-year sentence, citing his client’s lack of criminal history and the absence of evidence about motive. However, the judge dismissed that argument, pointing to Matar’s own words and actions in court.
In addition to the state conviction, Matar faces separate federal terrorism charges, including allegations that he attempted to provide support to Hezbollah, a designated terrorist organisation. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges, and his legal team says the case is complex and still in the discovery phase.
Rushdie has since chronicled the attack and his recovery in his memoir Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder, published last year.
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