Salman Rushdie’s attacker Hadi Matar gets 32-year prison sentence: 'Read a couple of pages' of Satanic Verses
Hadi Matar, who attempted to kill Salman Rushdie was found guilty by a jury on February 21. He stormed a stage and attacked ‘Satanic Verses’ author repeatedly with a knife.
Salman Rushdie, the Indian-born British author, made headlines three years ago after he was attacked by an American Lebanese man named Hadi Matar. On Saturday, a jury in western New York convicted Hadi Matar of attempted murder, The New York Times reported.
Who is Hadi Matar?
The 27-year-old convict Hadi Matar hails from New Jersey's Fairview and will be sentenced on April 23. He holds a dual United States and Lebanon citizenship. Besides federal terrorism-related charges, Hadi Matar faces up to 32 years in prison, The New York Times reported.
The attack dates back to August 12, 2022, when the renowned author had been scheduled to deliver a talk at the Chautauqua Institution. On the tragic day, Hadi Matar sprang up to the stage in dark clothing and a face mask and repeatedly stabbed Salman Rushdie before the author could deliver his message about keeping writers safe from harm.
In the incident, Rushdie suffered multiple stab wounds, including injuries on his neck, stomach, right eye and chest, and leg. This attack left the author blinded in the eye, caused damage to his liver and intestines for which he had to undergo emergency surgery and adversely impacted the use of one of his hands.
Why did Hadi Matar attack Salman Rushdie?
Hadi Matar is reportedly a pro-Palestinian advocate and supporter of late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who issued a fatwa against Rushdie over his book ‘The Satanic Verses.'
Hadi Matar disliked the novelist and said that Rushdie had attacked Islam, the New York Post reported. While noting that he "read like two pages" of Rushdie's controversial novel, Matar said, "I read a couple of pages. I didn't read the whole thing cover to cover," reported AP.
A 2006 speech of militant group Hezbollah's leader instigated Hadi Matar to attack the author in which he endorsed a decades-old fatwa (edict) and raised calls for Rushdie’s death.
In the second-degree assault case, Hadi Matar was also pressed with attempted murder charges for stabbing the co-founder of Pittsburgh's City of Asylum, Henry Reese, AP reported.