Man who stabbed author Salman Rushdie sentenced to 25 years in prison

The man convicted of stabbing author Salman Rushdie in 2022 was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison.

The incident occurred on a western New York outdoor lecture stage and resulted in Rushdie losing sight in one eye. 

The attacker, Hadi Matar, 27, was found guilty in February of attempted murder and assault.

“Salman Rushdie wants to disrespect other people,” Matar, clad in white-striped jail clothing and wearing handcuffs said before the sentencing, according to the Associated Press.

Matar also called Rushdie a hypocrite and said, “He wants to be a bully, he wants to bully other people. I don’t agree with that.”

Matar, a U.S. citizen, was attempting to carry out a decades-old fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdie’s death, authorities say. They also say he believed the fatwa was backed by the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah, the wire service also reports.

He now faces a federal trial on terrorism-related charges.