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MAYVILLE, N.Y. — On Friday, a New Jersey resident was found guilty of attempting to murder Salman Rushdie in 2022, after stabbing him multiple times on stage during a lecture in New York.
The jury, after deliberating for under two hours, also convicted Hadi Matar, 27, of assault for injuring another man who was on stage with Rushdie.
Matar attacked Rushdie on August 12, 2022, at the Chautauqua Institution, where Rushdie was scheduled to speak. He stabbed the 77-year-old author, who later lost sight in one eye, over a dozen times in front of an audience.
Rushdie gave a vivid account of the attack and his extensive, painful recovery during the seven-day trial.
Matar, who sat at the defense table, showed no obvious reaction when the verdict was read. As he was being led out of the courtroom in handcuffs, he said, “Free Palestine,” a phrase he often repeated when entering and leaving the courtroom.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 23. District Attorney Jason Schmidt stated that Matar could face a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, the maximum penalty for second-degree attempted murder.
Matar’s public defender, Nathaniel Barone, said his client was disappointed but prepared for the verdict. “But I thought, quite frankly, that he was well prepared for the verdict, regardless of what it was,” Barone said.
Following the verdict, Schmidt stated that video evidence played a crucial role in building a strong case. “We had a number of different angles to show the jurors,” he said. “It really is as compelling as it can possibly get.”
Schmidt added, “Mr. Matar came into this community as a visitor. And really, it’s my job to make sure that he stays a resident of New York state for the next 25 years.”
During his closing argument, Schmidt showed the jury a slow-motion video of the attack, highlighting Matar as he approached the stage from the audience and ran towards Rushdie.
Assistant public defender Andrew Brautigan argued that prosecutors had not demonstrated Matar’s intent to kill Rushdie, a crucial element for an attempted murder conviction.
Matar’s attorneys have previously stated that he carried knives, not a gun or bomb. They also pointed out that Rushdie’s heart and lungs were not injured, despite testimony about life-threatening injuries.
Schmidt argued that it was reasonable to assume that stabbing someone in the face and neck multiple times could result in death. “it’s foreseeable that if you’re going to stab someone 10 or 15 times about the face and neck, it’s going to result in a fatality.”
Rushdie, 77, testified last week, telling jurors about the moment a masked stranger rushed onto the stage and began stabbing him until bystanders intervened. Rushdie displayed his injured eye, typically concealed by a dark lens.
Schmidt reminded the jurors of the trauma surgeon’s testimony, stating that Rushdie’s injuries would have been fatal without immediate medical intervention.
He also played a slowed-down video showing Matar approaching Rushdie from behind and stabbing him in the torso. The video shows Rushdie attempting to stand and move away, with Matar continuing to stab him until they both fell and were separated by the audience.
The video shows Rushdie on the ground, his hand covered in blood. Schmidt paused the video on a frame showing Rushdie’s bloodied face surrounded by people.
“We’ve shown you intent,” Schmidt said.
The recordings also captured the gasps and screams from audience members who had gathered to hear Rushdie speak with City of Asylum Pittsburgh founder about keeping writers safe. Reese sustained a cut on his forehead, leading to the assault charge against Matar.
From the witness stand, institution staff and others who were present on the day of the attack identified Matar as the attacker.
Rushdie, who was stabbed over a dozen times in various parts of his body, spent 17 days in a Pennsylvania hospital and more than three weeks at a rehabilitation center in New York City. He chronicled his extensive and painful recovery in his memoir, “Knife.”
Throughout the trial, Matar frequently took notes and sometimes smiled or laughed with his defense team during breaks. His lawyers chose not to present any witnesses, and Matar did not testify in his own defense.
Barone reiterated on Friday that Matar would likely have faced a lesser assault charge if Rushdie were not famous. “Unfortunately, the notoriety of Mr. Rushdie certainly didn’t help in how this case may have been presented,” he said. “And we believe that it was overcharged.”
A separate federal indictment alleges that Matar was motivated by a 2006 speech in which the leader of Hezbollah endorsed the fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death, which was issued in 1989 by Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini following the publication of “The Satanic Verses.”
Rushdie spent years in hiding. However, after Iran announced that it would no longer enforce the fatwa, he had been traveling freely for the last 25 years.
A trial on the federal terrorism-related charges will be scheduled in U.S. District Court in Buffalo.
