Jury convicts author Salman Rushdie’s attacker of attempted murder

A jury in Chautauqua County, New York, on Friday found the New Jersey-born Hadi Matar guilty of the attempted murder of bestselling author Salman Rushdie as well as the assault of another man injured in the attack. Matar rushed a stage in Chautauqua, New York, where Rushdie was speaking in 2022, stabbing the author and another man who was on the stage. Matar, who reportedly said “Free Palestine” as he was removed from the courtroom, now faces up to 25 years in prison, plus five years of parole, for second-degree attempted murder. The also faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison for the assault charge, which will be served concurrently. His sentencing is scheduled for April 23.

What was the trial like? District Attorney Jason Schmidt told reporters after the verdict that the outcome was never in question. There was video of the attack from numerous angles, he said.

In addition, Rushdie himself reportedly testified during the trial, showing jurors his right eye, which was blinded in the attack and which he now usually keeps covered. He also suffered nerve damage to one hand.

Matar pleaded not guilty. His public defense attorneys reportedly argued that he didn’t intend to kill anyone, saying that he didn’t use a gun or bomb, and Rushdie’s heart and lungs weren’t injured. They did not call any witnesses and Matar did not take the stand, according to the Associated Press.

Why did he attack? Some Muslims strongly objected to Rushdie’s 1988 novel The Satanic Verses. The year after the book’s publication, the Hezbollah terrorist group issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death. In addition to being convicted for the attempted murder charge, Matar faces a future trial for federal charges of terrorism. He was born in the United States but also has Lebanese citizenship, according to The New York Post.

Who is Rushdie? The prizewinning 77-year-old novelist has written some 23 books. His latest book, Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder debuted in April 2024 from Penguin Random House.

Dig Deeper: Read Jill Nelson’s article in World Magazine about the fatwa against Salman Rushdie.