Rushdie’s attacker gets 25 years; terrorism trial still ahead.
OUTLOOK INDIA
A US court has sentenced Hadi Matar, 27, to 25 years in prison for stabbing author Salman Rushdie in 2022. The attack occurred during a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in New York, leaving Rushdie blind in one eye. Matar was convicted of attempted murder and assault in February.
Rushdie, who did not attend the sentencing, submitted a victim impact statement. He had previously testified, recalling how he believed he was dying when Matar stabbed him more than a dozen times.
Before sentencing, Matar criticised Rushdie, saying: “He wants to be a bully… I don’t agree with that.”
Prosecutors argued Matar deliberately planned the attack, while his defence sought a reduced 12-year sentence, citing his clean record.
Matar will also face a federal trial on terrorism charges. Authorities say he acted on a fatwa issued in 1989 by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini over Rushdie’s book The Satanic Verses.
Rushdie documented his recovery in the 2024 memoir Knife.