Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Man who attacked Salman Rushdie found guilty of attempted murder

Matar was convicted of attempted murder in the second degree and assault in the second degree. He will be sentenced on 23 April and could face up to 25 years in prison.

Salman-Rushdie

Salman Rushdie, 77, was stabbed multiple times in the head, neck, torso, and left hand. (Photo: Getty Images)

HADI MATAR, the man who attacked author Salman Rushdie on stage at a New York arts event in 2022, has been found guilty of attempted murder.

A jury convicted Matar, 27, on Friday after a trial at Chautauqua County Court in Mayville. During the attack, Matar rushed onto the stage at the Chautauqua Institution as Rushdie was being introduced for a discussion on writer safety. Some videos of the attack were shown to jurors during seven days of testimony.


Rushdie, 77, was stabbed multiple times in the head, neck, torso, and left hand. The attack blinded him in his right eye and caused serious injuries to his liver and intestines, requiring emergency surgery and a long recovery.

The author testified at the trial, recounting how he believed he was going to die. He removed his adapted spectacles with a blacked-out right lens to show jurors his blinded eye.

Matar was convicted of attempted murder in the second degree and assault in the second degree. The assault charge relates to the stabbing of Henry Reese, co-founder of Pittsburgh’s City of Asylum, who was moderating the discussion with Rushdie when the attack occurred.

Matar will be sentenced on 23 April and could face up to 25 years in prison.

After the verdict, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt commended the audience members who intervened during the attack.

“The Chautauqua Institution community, which I believe saved Mr Rushdie’s life when they intervened, I would say to you that this entire community deserved swift justice here, and I’m glad that we were able to achieve that for them,” Schmidt said.

Matar’s lawyer, Nathaniel Barone, said his client was disappointed with the verdict.

“The video, I think, was extremely damaging to Mr Matar,” Barone said outside the courtroom. “It’s that old expression, a picture is worth a thousand words.”

Rushdie, born into a Muslim Kashmiri family in India, has faced threats since the 1988 release of his novel The Satanic Verses. Iran’s then-Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, had declared the book blasphemous.

After his arrest, Matar told the New York Post that he travelled from his home in New Jersey to the event because he disliked Rushdie, saying the author had “attacked Islam.” He also told the paper he was surprised Rushdie survived.

Matar did not testify in his trial. His lawyers argued that prosecutors had not proven the intent to kill needed for an attempted murder conviction and said he should have been charged with assault instead.

Separately, Matar faces federal charges in western New York, including attempting to murder Rushdie as an act of terrorism and providing material support to Hezbollah, which the US has designated a terrorist organisation.

He is set to face those charges in a separate trial in Buffalo.

(With inputs from agencies)

More For You

South Wales Police

South Wales Police said they were called to South Morgan Place in Riverside at 07:37 BST on Thursday following reports of a seriously injured woman. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Cardiff man charged with murder after woman’s death

A 37-YEAR-OLD man has been charged with murder after a woman was found dead in Cardiff.

South Wales Police said they were called to South Morgan Place in Riverside at 07:37 BST on Thursday following reports of a seriously injured woman.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pakistan floods

Rescuers patrol through floodwaters in the Haqu Wala village of Pakistan's Kasur district on August 24, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty

India alerts Pakistan on Tawi flood risk; evacuations continue as rivers rise

INDIA has alerted Pakistan about a possible flood in the Tawi River, according to a media report on Monday, while heavy rains and rising river levels have forced evacuations in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

Citing official sources, The News reported that India contacted Pakistan to share information about potential flooding in Jammu’s Tawi River. The Indian High Commission in Islamabad conveyed the alert on Sunday, the paper said. There has been no official confirmation from either India or Pakistan.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nikki Haley

In her social media post, Haley said, 'India must take Trump’s point over Russian oil seriously, and work with the White House to find a solution. The sooner the better.'

Getty Images

Nikki Haley says India should heed Trump’s concerns on Russian oil

INDIA should take president Donald Trump’s concerns over its purchase of Russian crude oil seriously and work with the White House to resolve the matter, US Republican leader Nikki Haley has said.

The Trump administration has been sharply critical of India’s imports of discounted Russian oil. Washington, however, has not voiced the same criticism against China, which is the largest buyer of Russian crude.

Keep ReadingShow less
anti-immigration-protest

Demonstrators gather during an anti-immigration protest outside the New Bridge Hotel in Newcastle on August 23, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Anti-migrant protests continue across UK after asylum reforms announced

ANTI-MIGRANT protests were held across UK on Sunday outside hotels housing asylum seekers. This followed clashes a day earlier when police intervened to separate demonstrators and counter-protesters in several cities during rallies over immigration policies.

Immigration has emerged as the top concern in public opinion polls, putting pressure on prime minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government to act on its promise to end the use of hotels, which costs billions of pounds annually.

Keep ReadingShow less
Indian Aroma

The restaurant suffered extensive damage in the fire. Neighbours reported hearing loud screams on Friday night. (Photo credit: X)

Two arrested over arson at London Indian restaurant that injured five

A 15-YEAR-OLD boy and a 54-year-old man have been arrested on suspicion of arson after a fire broke out at an Indian restaurant in east London, leaving five people injured.

The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to the Indian Aroma restaurant in Ilford on Friday night. Three women and two men, believed to be diners, sustained burn injuries. They were treated at the scene by London Ambulance Service paramedics before being taken to hospital. According to police, a man and a woman remain in a life-threatening condition.

Keep ReadingShow less