Hadi Matar Found Guilty of Attempted Murder in Salman Rushdie Stabbing Case

Hadi Matar, the 27-year-old man who attacked novelist Salman Rushdie onstage in 2022, was found guilty on Friday of attempted murder and assault. The jury convicted Matar after reviewing video footage of the attack, in which he rushed the stage at the Chautauqua Institution and stabbed Rushdie multiple times, blinding him in one eye and causing severe injuries.

Rushdie, 77, testified about the harrowing experience, showing the jury his blinded eye and recalling how he believed he was going to die. Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt praised the swift intervention of audience members, crediting them with helping to save Rushdie’s life. Matar’s attorney, Nathaniel Barone, acknowledged the damaging impact of the attack footage shown in court, but argued that prosecutors failed to prove his client’s intent to kill.

Matar, a dual U.S.-Lebanese citizen, had previously told the New York Post that he traveled from New Jersey to attack Rushdie because he believed the author had insulted Islam. Matar faces up to 25 years in prison when sentenced on April 23. Additionally, he is set to stand trial in Buffalo on federal terrorism charges, including attempting to murder Rushdie as an act of terrorism and providing material support to Hezbollah, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S.

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