A New Jersey man has been found guilty of attempted murder for attacking author Salman Rushdie during a lecture in New York in 2022.

A jury delivered the verdict on February 21 after less than two hours of deliberation, also convicting 27-year-old Hadi Matar of assault for injuring another individual on stage with Rushdie at the Chautauqua Institution.

Matar rushed the stage on August 12, 2022, stabbing Rushdie more than a dozen times in front of a live audience. The attack left the 77-year-old novelist blind in one eye.

Rushdie testified during the seven-day trial, providing graphic details of his life-threatening injuries and the long road to recovery.

Matar displayed no visible reaction to the verdict, standing silently as it was read. As he was escorted from the courtroom in handcuffs, he muttered, "Free Palestine," a phrase he had repeated throughout the trial.

The judge scheduled Matar’s sentencing for April 23, where he could face up to 25 years in prison, the maximum penalty for second-degree attempted murder. District Attorney Jason Schmidt emphasized the strength of the video evidence, which he described as "rock solid."

"We had multiple angles showing the attack," Schmidt stated. "This case could not be clearer." He further remarked that Matar had arrived as a visitor but would now remain in New York State for the next 25 years.

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During closing arguments, Matar’s defense attorney Andrew Brautigan argued that prosecutors failed to prove intent to kill, which is crucial for an attempted murder conviction. However, Schmidt countered that repeatedly stabbing someone in the face and neck is an unmistakable attempt to take their life.

Rushdie, widely known for his novel Midnight’s Children, testified that he believed he was dying when the masked attacker rushed the stage. He displayed his now-blinded right eye to the jury, usually hidden behind dark glasses.

Schmidt reinforced the severity of the attack by replaying footage that captured the stabbing from multiple angles. The video also recorded audience reactions, including gasps and screams.

Institution staff and attendees identified Matar as the assailant. Co-panelist Henry Reese, who was also wounded in the attack, sustained a forehead gash, leading to Matar’s additional assault conviction.

Rushdie spent 17 days in a Pennsylvania hospital and over three weeks in a New York City rehabilitation center. He recounted his arduous recovery in his 2024 memoir, Knife.

PEN America welcomed the conviction, calling it a "crucial step toward justice" and a reminder of the ongoing threats faced by writers challenging authority.

Throughout the trial, Matar frequently took notes and occasionally smiled or laughed with his legal team during breaks. His lawyers did not call any witnesses, and Matar declined to testify in his defense.

A separate federal indictment alleges Matar was inspired by a 2006 speech from a Hezbollah leader endorsing the longstanding fatwa against Rushdie. Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued the decree in 1989 after the publication of The Satanic Verses, which was deemed blasphemous by many Muslims.

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While Rushdie spent years in hiding, he had resumed public appearances in recent decades, believing the threat had diminished.

Matar now faces a federal terrorism-related trial, which will be held in U.S. District Court in Buffalo.

Source: With input from agency