Salman Rushdie's attacker convicted of attempted murder and assault

Saturday 22 February 2025 - 13:10

Hadi Matar, the individual responsible for stabbing renowned novelist Salman Rushdie at a New York event, has been found guilty of attempted murder. The verdict was delivered by a jury on Friday, following Matar’s attack on Rushdie during a public speaking event in August 2022.

Rushdie, 77, was severely injured, suffering multiple stab wounds to his head, neck, torso, and left hand. The attack caused the loss of vision in his right eye and inflicted damage to his liver and intestines, necessitating urgent surgery and months of recovery.

The assault took place at the Chautauqua Institution, where Rushdie was set to speak on the topic of safeguarding writers from harm. Video footage of the incident, presented as evidence, showed Matar rushing the stage as Rushdie was introduced.

In addition to the attempted murder charge, Matar, 27, was also found guilty of second-degree assault for injuring Henry Reese, co-founder of Pittsburgh’s City of Asylum, who was accompanying Rushdie on stage. Matar faces up to 25 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for April 23.

Defense attorney Nathaniel Barone expressed that Matar was disappointed with the verdict, citing the significant impact of the video evidence on the jury’s decision. Matar, when escorted from the courtroom, made a brief statement saying, “Free Palestine.”

Rushdie, an outspoken atheist and author of The Satanic Verses, has faced threats of violence since the book’s publication in 1988. The novel was condemned by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini as blasphemous, leading to a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death. Matar, who identified as a supporter of Hezbollah, a group that endorsed the fatwa, faces additional federal charges related to terrorism and providing support to the Lebanese group.