In 2022, a man was found guilty of attacking acclaimed British writer Salman Rushdie and received a 25-year prison sentence as the most severe punishment possible.
Hadi Matar, 27, was found guilty in February of attempted murder and assault in connection to the knife attack that left Rushdie blind in one eye.Â
At the Chautauqua Institution, Rushdie, aged 77, was assaulted while on stage before giving a lecture. He was then flown by helicopter to a hospital in northwestern Pennsylvania, where he underwent treatment for almost three weeks.
The renowned author, known for his controversial 1988 book “The Satanic Verses” that sparked global outrage and led to a death threat from Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khamenei, sustained injuries to his liver, arm, and eye.
Matar was also sentenced to seven years, to be served concurrently, for the stabbing of another man who was on stage with Rushdie, according to The Associated Press.
“My first thought when I saw this murderous shape rushing towards me was: So, it’s you. Here you are,” Rushdie said. “It felt like something coming out of the distant past and trying to drag me back in time … back into that distant past in order to kill me.”Â
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
