Hadi Matar convicted of attempted murder in Salman Rushdie stabbing

Hadi Matar was found guilty of attempted murder and assault for his August 2022 attack on author Salman Rushdie at the Chautauqua Institution, where he stabbed Rushdie multiple times while the author was on stage. The jury reached the verdict after less than two hours of deliberation, with prosecutors emphasizing the unprovoked and targeted nature of the attack. Rushdie, now 77, described the life-threatening injuries he sustained, which left him blind in one eye, during seven days of testimony. Matar's defense argued that the prosecution failed to prove his intent to kill, characterizing the incident as chaotic rather than a calculated attack. The judge has set Matar's sentencing for April 23, where he faces up to 25 years in prison. The trial highlighted the severity of the assault, with jurors viewing video evidence of the incident and hearing from witnesses who described the chaos that ensued.