US jury sentences Salman Rushdie attacker to 25 years in prison

ISTANBUL

A US jury sentenced Hadi Matar, the man who stabbed author Salman Rushdie during a 2022 lecture in New York, to 25 years in prison on Friday following his conviction for attempted murder and assault, US media reported.

Matar, a dual US-Lebanese citizen, was found guilty in February 2025 after an eight-day trial.

A New York jury handed down the maximum sentence for second-degree attempted murder, to be served concurrently with a seven-year sentence for assaulting another man on stage, according to the New York Times.

Rushdie, who was stabbed more than a dozen times as he prepared to deliver a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in 2022, suffered serious injuries, including blindness in one eye and damage to his liver, intestines, and other areas.

Matar also faces separate federal terrorism charges related to the attack.