Salman Rushdies attacker Hadi Matar gets max sentence for horrific stabbing

Published: Friday, May 16, 2025 at 2:52 pm

Salman Rushdie Attacker Sentenced to Maximum 25 Years in Prison

Hadi Matar, the man who brutally attacked author Salman Rushdie in 2022, has been sentenced to the maximum term of 25 years in prison. The sentencing, handed down on Friday, follows Matar's conviction for attempted murder and assault stemming from the horrific stabbing at the Chautauqua Institute in New York.

Matar, 26, ambushed Rushdie on stage in August 2022 as the author was preparing to give a lecture. The attack, which involved Matar repeatedly stabbing Rushdie, was allegedly motivated by a decades-old fatwa calling for Rushdie's death. During the trial, Matar, who shouted pro-Palestinian slogans, made a statement about freedom of speech, calling Rushdie a hypocrite.

The court also sentenced Matar to seven years for wounding a man who was on stage with Rushdie. The sentences will run concurrently.

Rushdie, who testified during the seven-day trial, recounted the harrowing details of the attack, including the moment he feared he was dying. He described the knife attack, which left him blind in one eye and caused nerve and liver damage. Rushdie detailed his recovery in his 2024 memoir, "Knife."

Matar, who holds both American and Lebanese citizenship, still faces a federal trial on terrorism-related charges. Authorities allege he was attempting to carry out the fatwa, which was issued in 1989 and allegedly backed by Hezbollah. Matar has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.

Keywords: Salman Rushdie, Hadi Matar, stabbing, Chautauqua Institute, attempted murder, assault, fatwa, Hezbollah, sentence, prison, trial, author, writer safety, blindness, terrorism, New York, Lebanon, Hassan Nasrallah

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