The New Jersey man convicted of stabbing author Salman Rushdie on a New York lecture stage in 2022 has been sentenced to serve 25 years in prison.

A man who attacked Salman Rushdie with a knife in front of a stunned audience in 2022, leaving the prizewinning author blind in one eye, was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison.

The New Jersey man convicted of stabbing author Salman Rushdie on a New York lecture stage in 2022 has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Hadi Matar walks in to the Chautauqua County court in Mayville, N.Y., Friday, May.

Hadi Matar, right, and public defender Nathaniel Barone listens to Chautauqua County Judge David Foley’s sentence in Chautauqua County court in Mayville, N.Y., Friday, May.

Author Salman Rushdie appears at a press conference at the Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany on Oct.

Hadi Matar, center, writes as public defender Nathaniel Barone, left, looks on in Chautauqua County court in Mayville, N.Y., Friday, May.

Hadi Matar, center, addresses the court in Chautauqua County court in Mayville, N.Y., Friday, May.

() — A man who attacked Salman Rushdie with a knife in front of a stunned audience in 2022, leaving the prizewinning author blind in one eye, was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison.

Hadi Matar, 27, stood quietly as the judge pronounced the sentence.

He did not deny attacking Rushdie, and when he was invited to address the court before being sentenced, Matar got in a few last insults at the writer.

He said he believed in freedom of speech but called Rushdie “a hypocrite.”.

“Salman Rushdie wants to disrespect other people,” said Matar, clad in white-striped jail clothing and wearing handcuffs.

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The source page records the update at 16 May 2025, 04:07 AM, and the story should be followed for any later corrections or clarifications.