(New York, NY) – Following eight days in court, the man accused of stabbing author Salman Rushdie has been found guilty. Jurors found 27-year-old Hadi Matar of New Jersey guilty after nearly two hours of deliberation. The incident occurred in August of 2022 in western New York, when the decorated novelist was set to take the stage at Chautauqua Institution. Matar rushed on the stage and stabbed the 77-year-old writer more than a dozen times in the neck, stomach, chest and right eye. The attack left Rushdie partially blind.
The writer spent years in writing following a 1989 religious ruling, or fatwa, calling for his death from the Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Rushdie took the stand earlier this week, saying he feared for his life during the attack. Matar has been convicted on counts of attempted murder and assault. He is due back in court for sentencing April 23.
