The man, Hadi Matar, faces up to 32 years in prison. Prosecutors said he rushed onstage at an arts conference and stabbed the famed author about 15 times.
The man, Hadi Matar, faces up to 32 years in prison. Prosecutors said he rushed onstage at an arts conference and stabbed the famed author about 15 times.
The man, Hadi Matar, faces up to 32 years in prison. Prosecutors said he rushed onstage at an arts conference and stabbed the famed author about 15 times.
A jury in western New York on Friday found a New Jersey man guilty of attempted murder in the stabbing of the author Salman Rushdie, which left him partially blind.
The conviction of the man, Hadi Matar, 27, followed harrowing testimony from Mr. Rushdie, 77, who said he had been struck by his attacker’s dark, ferocious eyes. He told the jury that at first he felt he was being punched, but then he realized he had “a very large quantity of blood pouring out” onto his clothes.
Mr. Rushdie had been scheduled to deliver a talk at the Chautauqua Institution, a cultural retreat, on Aug. 12, 2022, about how the United States has been a safe haven for artists in exile.
Shortly before Mr. Rushdie was set to speak, a man wearing dark clothing and a face mask rushed onstage and stabbed him repeatedly.
Mr. Matar was also found guilty of assault for injuring Ralph Henry Reese, the talk’s moderator and one of the founders of a project that offers refuge for writers. The jury deliberated for less than two hours on Friday.
Mr. Matar, who is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23, faces up to 32 years in prison. He also faces federal terrorism-related charges.