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New York|Salman Rushdie’s Attacker Sentenced to Maximum 25 Years in Prison
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/nyregion/salman-rushdie-hadi-matar-sentenced.html
Hadi Matar, the defendant, said he believed the acclaimed author to be a hypocrite. Mr. Rushdie had been living under a religious edict calling for his death since 1989.
May 16, 2025, 10:55 a.m. ET
The man convicted of trying to stab Salman Rushdie to death was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison for the attack, which left Mr. Rushdie critically injured and blind in one eye.
The man, Mr. Matar, spoke briefly during his sentencing in a courtroom in Chautauqua County, in Western New York, saying that he believed Mr. Rushdie to be a hypocrite and a bully.
Judge David W. Foley delivered the sentence after an hourlong hearing. Mr. Matar had been found guilty in February of trying to kill Mr. Rushdie in the harrowing knife attack, which took place at a summer resort and cultural center in 2022.
For decades before he was attacked, Mr. Rushdie had lived under threat. His 1988 novel, “The Satanic Verses,” included a fictionalized representation of the Prophet Muhammad that many Muslims deemed blasphemous. In 1989, Iran’s supreme leader issued a religious edict against Mr. Rushdie, calling for his death.
The trial lasted less than two weeks and took place in Mayville, N.Y., a small town about an hour south of Buffalo on the banks of Chautauqua Lake. The prosecution called several witnesses; the defense called none. Mr. Matar, 27, declined to testify.
Jurors deliberated for less than two hours before returning their verdict.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Alyce McFadden is a reporter covering New York City and a member of the 2024-25 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers.
