Salman Rushdie attacker sentenced to 25 years in prison for attempted murder

Mayville: Hadi Matar, the man convicted of stabbing author Salman Rushdie during a public event in New York in 2022, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Rushdie, 77, was severely injured in the attack and lost vision in one eye. He was stabbed multiple times on stage at the Chautauqua Institution while preparing to deliver a lecture on the safety of writers.

The author was not present in court during the sentencing in western New York but submitted a written statement. He had earlier testified as the main witness during the trial.

In February, Matar, 27, was found guilty of attempted murder and assault. Before the sentencing, he made a statement criticizing Rushdie and referring to him as a hypocrite in the context of freedom of expression.

Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said Matar received the maximum sentence of 25 years for the attempted murder of Rushdie, and an additional seven years for injuring another individual who was on stage during the incident.

Both sentences will run concurrently, as the injuries occurred during the same attack.