Salman Rushdie 'Pleased' That Man Who Attempted To Kill Him Got Maximum 25-Year Sentence

Last Updated:May 27, 2025, 16:03 IST

The assailant, Hadi Matar, was sentenced in a New York court for the attempted murder of Rushdie. The attack left the British-Indian author blind in one eye

Hadi Matar, a New Jersey man, was convicted of attempted murder for stabbing author Salman Rushdie. File image/AP

Booker Prize-winning author Sir Salman Rushdie has said he is “pleased" that the man who brutally attacked him on stage in 2022 has been handed the maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.

The assailant, Hadi Matar, was sentenced in a New York court for the attempted murder of Rushdie. The attack left the British-Indian author blind in one eye. Rushdie later documented the event in his 2024 memoir, Knife.

Judge David Foley delivered the verdict in Mayville, near where the stabbing occurred.

Following the ruling, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt expressed satisfaction. However, Matar’s lawyer, Nathaniel Barone, confirmed that an appeal will be made.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4 on Monday, Rushdie said, “I was pleased that he got the maximum available, and I hope he uses it to reflect upon his deeds."

In 1989, Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death over alleged blasphemy in his novel The Satanic Verses.

Following this, Rushdie went into hiding under British protection and later settled in New York, in the United States. The book was banned in 20 countries. Numerous killings and bombings have been carried out by extremists who cite the book as motivation, sparking a debate about censorship and religiously motivated violence.

On August 12, 2022, while about to start a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York, Rushdie was attacked by Matar, who rushed onto the stage and stabbed him repeatedly, including in the face, neck, and abdomen. Matar was pulled away before being taken into custody by a state trooper; Rushdie was airlifted to UPMC Hamot, a tertiary trauma centre in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he underwent surgery before being put on a ventilator.

On October 23, 2022, his agent reported that Rushdie had lost sight in one eye and the use of one hand but survived the murder attempt.

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News world Salman Rushdie 'Pleased' That Man Who Attempted To Kill Him Got Maximum 25-Year Sentence