Latest news with #CityofAsylum
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
16-05-2025
- First Post
Salman Rushdie attacker sentenced to 25 years for 2022 onstage stabbing
Hadi Matar, 27, who stabbed and partially blinded novelist Salman Rushdie onstage at a Western New York arts institute in 2022 was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Friday read more Defendant Hadi Matar arrives for his trial on charges of second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault dating to an attack on Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie, at Chautauqua County Court in Mayville, New York, US, on February 11, 2025. Reuters File The man who stabbed and partially blinded novelist Salman Rushdie onstage at a Western New York arts institute in 2022 was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Friday for an attack that also wounded a second man, the district attorney said. Rushdie, 77, has faced death threats since the 1988 publication of his novel 'The Satanic Verses,' which Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, then Iran's supreme leader, denounced as blasphemous, leading to a call for Rushdie's death, an edict known as a fatwa. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Hadi Matar, 27, a US citizen from Fairview, New Jersey, was found guilty of attacking the author in the Chautauqua County Court in Mayville, New York, in February. He faced a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison on the attempted murder charge. Video that captured the assault shows Matar rushing the Chautauqua Institution's stage as Rushdie was being introduced to the audience for a talk about keeping writers safe from harm. Some of the video was shown to the jury during the seven days of testimony. 'He's traumatized. He has nightmares about what he experienced,' Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said after the sentencing hearing, referring to what Rushdie suffered. 'Obviously this is a major setback for an individual that was starting to emerge in his very later years of life into society after going into hiding after the fatwa.' Also hurt in the attack was Henry Reese, co-founder of Pittsburgh's City of Asylum, a nonprofit that helps exiled writers. He was conducting the talk with Rushdie that morning. Schmidt said Matar was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the second degree attempted murder charge stemming from the attack against Rushdie and seven years for a second degree assault charged for the stabbing of Reese. The sentences will run concurrently. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Rushdie, an atheist born into a Muslim Kashmiri family in India, was stabbed with a knife multiple times in the head, neck, torso and left hand. The attack blinded his right eye and damaged his liver and intestines, requiring emergency surgery and months of recovery. Matar did not testify at his trial. His defense lawyers told jurors that the prosecutors had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt the necessary criminal intent to kill needed for a conviction of attempted murder, and argued that he should have been charged with assault. Matar's attorney Nathaniel Barone said his client will file an appeal. 'I know if he had the opportunity, he would not be sitting where he's sitting today. And if he could change things, he would,' Barone said. Matar also faces federal charges brought by prosecutors in the US attorney's office in Western New York, accusing him of attempting to murder Rushdie as an act of terrorism. Prosecutors accuse him of providing material support to Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group, which the U.S. has designated as a terrorist organization. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Matar is due to face those charges at a separate trial in Buffalo.
Dubai Eye
16-05-2025
- Dubai Eye
Man who stabbed author Salman Rushdie sentenced to 25 years
The man who stabbed and partially blinded novelist Salman Rushdie onstage at a Western New York arts institute in 2022 has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for an attack that also wounded a second person, the district attorney said. Hadi Matar, 27, a US citizen from Fairview, New Jersey, was found guilty of attacking the author in the Chautauqua County Court in Mayville, New York, in February. He faced a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison on the attempted murder charge. Video that captured the assault shows Matar rushing the Chautauqua Institution's stage as Rushdie was being introduced to the audience for a talk about keeping writers safe from harm. Some of the video was shown to the jury during the seven days of testimony. "He's traumatized. He has nightmares about what he experienced," Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said after the sentencing hearing, referring to what Rushdie suffered. Also hurt in the attack was Henry Reese, co-founder of Pittsburgh's City of Asylum, a nonprofit that helps exiled writers. He was conducting the talk with Rushdie that morning. Schmidt said Matar was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the second degree attempted murder charge stemming from the attack against Rushdie and seven years for a second degree assault charged for the stabbing of Reese. The sentences will run concurrently. Rushdie, 77, has faced death threats since the 1988 publication of his controversial novel The Satanic Verses. The Indian-born British and American author was stabbed with a knife multiple times in the head, neck, torso and left hand. The attack blinded his right eye and damaged his liver and intestines, requiring emergency surgery and months of recovery. Matar did not testify at his trial. His defence lawyers told jurors that the prosecutors had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt the necessary criminal intent to kill needed for a conviction of attempted murder, and argued that he should have been charged with assault. Matar's attorney Nathaniel Barone said his client will file an appeal. "I know if he had the opportunity, he would not be sitting where he's sitting today. And if he could change things, he would," Barone said. Matar also faces federal charges brought by prosecutors in the US attorney's office in Western New York, accusing him of attempting to murder Rushdie as an act of terrorism. Prosecutors accuse him of providing material support to Lebanon's Hezbollah group, which the US has designated as a terrorist organisation. Matar is due to face those charges at a separate trial in Buffalo.
ARN News Center
16-05-2025
- ARN News Center
Man who stabbed author Salman Rushdie sentenced to 25 years
The man who stabbed and partially blinded novelist Salman Rushdie onstage at a Western New York arts institute in 2022 has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for an attack that also wounded a second person, the district attorney said. Hadi Matar, 27, a US citizen from Fairview, New Jersey, was found guilty of attacking the author in the Chautauqua County Court in Mayville, New York, in February. He faced a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison on the attempted murder charge. Video that captured the assault shows Matar rushing the Chautauqua Institution's stage as Rushdie was being introduced to the audience for a talk about keeping writers safe from harm. Some of the video was shown to the jury during the seven days of testimony. "He's traumatized. He has nightmares about what he experienced," Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said after the sentencing hearing, referring to what Rushdie suffered. Also hurt in the attack was Henry Reese, co-founder of Pittsburgh's City of Asylum, a nonprofit that helps exiled writers. He was conducting the talk with Rushdie that morning. Schmidt said Matar was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the second degree attempted murder charge stemming from the attack against Rushdie and seven years for a second degree assault charged for the stabbing of Reese. The sentences will run concurrently. Rushdie, 77, has faced death threats since the 1988 publication of his controversial novel The Satanic Verses. The Indian-born British and American author was stabbed with a knife multiple times in the head, neck, torso and left hand. The attack blinded his right eye and damaged his liver and intestines, requiring emergency surgery and months of recovery. Matar did not testify at his trial. His defence lawyers told jurors that the prosecutors had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt the necessary criminal intent to kill needed for a conviction of attempted murder, and argued that he should have been charged with assault. Matar's attorney Nathaniel Barone said his client will file an appeal. "I know if he had the opportunity, he would not be sitting where he's sitting today. And if he could change things, he would," Barone said. Matar also faces federal charges brought by prosecutors in the US attorney's office in Western New York, accusing him of attempting to murder Rushdie as an act of terrorism. Prosecutors accuse him of providing material support to Lebanon's Hezbollah group, which the US has designated as a terrorist organisation. Matar is due to face those charges at a separate trial in Buffalo.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Assailant who stabbed author Salman Rushdie sentenced to 25 years
(Reuters) - The man who stabbed and partially blinded novelist Salman Rushdie onstage at a Western New York arts institute in 2022 was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Friday for an attack that also wounded a second man, the district attorney said. Rushdie, 77, has faced death threats since the 1988 publication of his novel "The Satanic Verses," which Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, then Iran's supreme leader, denounced as blasphemous, leading to a call for Rushdie's death, an edict known as a fatwa. Hadi Matar, 27, a U.S. citizen from Fairview, New Jersey, was found guilty of attacking the author in the Chautauqua County Court in Mayville, New York, in February. He faced a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison on the attempted murder charge. Video that captured the assault shows Matar rushing the Chautauqua Institution's stage as Rushdie was being introduced to the audience for a talk about keeping writers safe from harm. Some of the video was shown to the jury during the seven days of testimony. "He's traumatized. He has nightmares about what he experienced," Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said after the sentencing hearing, referring to what Rushdie suffered. "Obviously this is a major setback for an individual that was starting to emerge in his very later years of life into society after going into hiding after the fatwa." Also hurt in the attack was Henry Reese, co-founder of Pittsburgh's City of Asylum, a nonprofit that helps exiled writers. He was conducting the talk with Rushdie that morning. Schmidt said Matar was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the second degree attempted murder charge stemming from the attack against Rushdie and seven years for a second degree assault charged for the stabbing of Reese. The sentences will run concurrently. Rushdie, an atheist born into a Muslim Kashmiri family in India, was stabbed with a knife multiple times in the head, neck, torso and left hand. The attack blinded his right eye and damaged his liver and intestines, requiring emergency surgery and months of recovery. Matar did not testify at his trial. His defense lawyers told jurors that the prosecutors had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt the necessary criminal intent to kill needed for a conviction of attempted murder, and argued that he should have been charged with assault. Matar's attorney Nathaniel Barone said his client will file an appeal. "I know if he had the opportunity, he would not be sitting where he's sitting today. And if he could change things, he would," Barone said. Matar also faces federal charges brought by prosecutors in the U.S. attorney's office in Western New York, accusing him of attempting to murder Rushdie as an act of terrorism. Prosecutors accuse him of providing material support to Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group, which the U.S. has designated as a terrorist organization. Matar is due to face those charges at a separate trial in Buffalo.
Al Jazeera
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Salman Rushdie attacker found guilty of attempted murder
Hadi Matar, the man who stabbed and partially blinded prize-winning novelist Salman Rushdie at an event in New York, has been found guilty of attempted murder. Jurors delivered the verdict on Friday for Matar's assault on Rushdie on stage at an arts institute's event in August 2022. The Satanic Verses author, 77, was stabbed with a knife multiple times in the head, neck, torso and left hand, blinding his right eye and damaging his liver and intestines, and requiring emergency surgery and months of recovery. Matar, 27, can be seen in videos of the attack rushing the Chautauqua Institution's stage as Rushdie was being introduced to the audience for a talk about keeping writers safe from harm. Some of the videos were shown to the jury during the seven days of testimony. Matar was found guilty of attempted murder in the second degree as well as assault in the second degree for stabbing Henry Reese, the co-founder of Pittsburgh's City of Asylum, a nonprofit group that helps exiled writers, who was conducting the talk with Rushdie that morning. He will be sentenced on April 23 and faces up to 25 years in prison. Nathaniel Barone, a public defender representing Matar, said his client was disappointed by the verdict. 'The video, I think, was extremely damaging to Mr Matar,' Barone said outside the courtroom, referring to a video of the attack that was shown repeatedly to jurors. 'It's that old expression: A picture is worth a thousand words.' As he was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs, Matar quietly uttered 'Free Palestine', echoing comments he has frequently made while entering and leaving the trial. New York-based British American Rushdie, an atheist born into a Muslim Kashmiri family in India, has faced death threats since the 1988 publication of his novel, The Satanic Verses, which Ayatollah Khomeini, then Iran's supreme leader, denounced as blasphemous. After the knife assault, American Lebanese Matar told the New York Post that he had assaulted Rushdie because he had attacked Islam. Matar also faces federal charges brought by prosecutors, accusing him of attempting to murder Rushdie as an act of terrorism and of providing material support to Hezbollah in Lebanon, which the US designates as a terrorist organisation. Hezbollah had endorsed Khomeini's fatwa against Rushdie.
