Latest news with #MidnightsChildren
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Salman Rushdie says he is 'over' knife attack as author reveals 'important moment' he returned to New York lecture stage where he was repeatedly stabbed
Sir Salman Rushdie says 'I'm over it' following the horrific knife attack which has now seen the crook jailed. Hadi Matar, 27, was sentenced last month to 25 years for attempted murder after he repeatedly stabbed the author on stage during a lecture in New York in 2022. Sir Salman recently told Radio 4's Today programme that he was 'pleased' the man who set out to kill him had received the maximum possible prison sentence. But he wishes to move on from the terrifying ordeal and focus on his new book coming out later this year. Speaking at the Hay Festival in Wales he said: 'It will be nice to talk about fiction again because ever since the attack, really the only thing anybody's wanted to talk about is the attack, but I'm over it.' He added that an 'important moment' came for him when he and his wife Eliza 'went back to the scene of the crime to show myself I could stand up where I fell down'. The award-winning Midnight's Children and Satanic Verses writer was left blind in one eye after the attack as well as damage to his liver and a paralysed hand caused by nerve damage to his arm. The event had tight security, with sniffer dogs and bag searches. Hadi Matar, 27, was sentenced last month to 25 years for attempted murder after he repeatedly stabbed the author on stage during a lecture in New York in 2022 Once Sir Rushdie entered the stage to an audience of applause, he joked: 'I can't see everyone - but I can hear them.' Although he said he felt 'excellent' he added there 'were bits of me that I'm annoyed about, like not having a right eye. But on the whole, I've been very fortunate and I'm in better shape than maybe I would have expected.' Last year, the 77-year-old published a memoir called Knife about the ordeal, which he said was his way of 'fighting back'. It comes decades after the publication of his novel The Satanic Verses which made him the target of death threats as some Muslims consider blasphemous for its portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad. A short story collection called The Eleventh Hour is set to be released by the author in November.
CNN
16-05-2025
- CNN
Man who stabbed author Salman Rushdie faces sentencing in New York
Mayville, New York (AP) — The man convicted of stabbing Salman Rushdie on a New York lecture stage in 2022, leaving the prizewinning author blind in one eye, is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday. A jury found Hadi Matar, 27, guilty of attempted murder and assault in February. Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said he will request the maximum 25 years in prison for the Aug. 12, 2022, attack on Rushdie and seven years for injuring a second man who was on stage with the author. The sentences must run concurrently because both victims were injured in the same event, he said. Rushdie is not expected to return to court for his assailant's sentencing, the prosecutor said. During the trial, the 77-year-old author was the key witness, describing how he believed he was dying when a masked attacker plunged a knife into his head and body more than a dozen times as he was being introduced at the Chautauqua Institution to speak about writer safety. Rushdie spent 17 days at a Pennsylvania hospital and more than three weeks at a New York City rehabilitation center. The author of 'Midnight's Children,' 'The Moor's Last Sigh' and 'Victory City' detailed his recovery in his 2024 memoir, 'Knife.' Matar next faces a federal trial on terrorism-related charges. While the first trial focused mostly on the details of the knife attack itself, the next one is expected to delve into the more complicated issue of motive. Authorities said Matar, a US citizen, was attempting to carry out a decades-old fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdie's death when he traveled from his home in Fairview, New Jersey, to target Rushdie at the summer retreat about 70 miles southwest of Buffalo. Matar believed the fatwa, first issued in 1989, was backed by the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah and endorsed in a 2006 speech by the group's secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, according to federal prosecutors. Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued the fatwa after publication of Rushdie's novel, 'The Satanic Verses,' which some Muslims consider blasphemous. Rushdie spent years in hiding, but after Iran announced it would not enforce the decree he traveled freely over the past quarter century. Matar pleaded not guilty to a three-count indictment charging him with providing material to terrorists, attempting to provide material support to Hezbollah and engaging in terrorism transcending national boundaries. Video of the assault, captured by the venue's cameras and played at trial, show Matar approaching the seated Rushdie from behind and reaching around him to stab at his torso with a knife. As the audience gasps and screams, Rushdie is seen raising his arms and rising from his seat, walking and stumbling for a few steps with Matar hanging on, swinging and stabbing until they both fall and are surrounded by onlookers who rush in to separate them. Jurors in Matar's first trial delivered their verdict after less than two hours of deliberation.
BreakingNews.ie
16-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Man who stabbed author Salman Rushdie faces sentencing in New York
The man convicted of stabbing Salman Rushdie on a New York lecture stage in 2022, leaving the prize-winning author blind in one eye, is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday. A jury found Hadi Matar, 27, guilty of attempted murder and assault in February. Advertisement Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said he will request the maximum 25 years in prison for the August 12, 2022 attack on Mr Rushdie and seven years for injuring a second man who was on stage with the author. The sentences must run concurrently because both victims were injured in the same event, he said. Mr Rushdie is not expected to return to court for his attacker's sentencing, the prosecutor said. During the trial, the 77-year-old author was the key witness, describing how he believed he was dying when a masked attacker plunged a knife into his head and body more than a dozen times as he was being introduced at the Chautauqua Institution to speak about writer safety. Advertisement Mr Rushdie spent 17 days at a Pennsylvania hospital and more than three weeks at a New York City rehabilitation centre. The author of 'Midnight's Children', 'The Moor's Last Sigh' and 'Victory City' detailed his recovery in his 2024 memoir, 'Knife'. Matar next faces a trial on terrorism-related charges. Author Salman Rushdie appears at a press conference at the Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany (Michael Probst/AP) While the first trial focused mostly on the details of the knife attack itself, the next one is expected to delve into the more complicated issue of motive. Advertisement Authorities said Matar, a US citizen, was attempting to carry out a decades-old fatwa, or edict, calling for Mr Rushdie's death when he travelled from his home in Fairview, New Jersey, to target Mr Rushdie at the summer retreat about 70 miles (112.6 kilometres) south-west of Buffalo. Matar believed the fatwa, first issued in 1989, was backed by the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah and endorsed in a 2006 speech by the group's secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, according to prosecutors. Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued the fatwa after publication of Mr Rushdie's novel, 'The Satanic Verses', which some Muslims consider blasphemous. Mr Rushdie spent years in hiding, but after Iran announced it would not enforce the decree he travelled freely over the past quarter century. Advertisement Matar pleaded not guilty to a three-count indictment charging him with providing material to terrorists, attempting to provide material support to Hezbollah and engaging in terrorism transcending national boundaries. Video of the assault, captured by the venue's cameras and played at trial, show Matar approaching the seated Mr Rushdie from behind and reaching around him to stab at his torso with a knife. As the audience gasps and screams, Mr Rushdie is seen raising his arms and rising from his seat, walking and stumbling for a few steps with Matar hanging on, swinging and stabbing until they both fall and are surrounded by onlookers who rush in to separate them. Jurors in Matar's first trial delivered their verdict after less than two hours of deliberation. Advertisement
The Independent
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Man who stabbed author Salman Rushdie faces sentencing in New York
The man convicted of stabbing Salman Rushdie on a New York lecture stage in 2022, leaving the prizewinning author blind in one eye, is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday. A jury found Hadi Matar, 27, guilty of attempted murder and assault in February. Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said he will request the maximum 25 years in prison for the Aug. 12, 2022, attack on Rushdie and seven years for injuring a second man who was on stage with the author. The sentences must run concurrently because both victims were injured in the same event, he said. Rushdie is not expected to return to court for his assailant's sentencing, the prosecutor said. During the trial, the 77-year-old author was the key witness, describing how he believed he was dying when a masked attacker plunged a knife into his head and body more than a dozen times as he was being introduced at the Chautauqua Institution to speak about writer safety. Rushdie spent 17 days at a Pennsylvania hospital and more than three weeks at a New York City rehabilitation center. The author of 'Midnight's Children,' 'The Moor's Last Sigh" and 'Victory City' detailed his recovery in his 2024 memoir, 'Knife.' Matar next faces a federal trial on terrorism-related charges. While the first trial focused mostly on the details of the knife attack itself, the next one is expected to delve into the more complicated issue of motive. Authorities said Matar, a U.S. citizen, was attempting to carry out a decades-old fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdie's death when he traveled from his home in Fairview, New Jersey, to target Rushdie at the summer retreat about 70 miles (112.6 kilometers) southwest of Buffalo. Matar believed the fatwa, first issued in 1989, was backed by the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah and endorsed in a 2006 speech by the group's secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, according to federal prosecutors. Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued the fatwa after publication of Rushdie's novel, 'The Satanic Verses,' which some Muslims consider blasphemous. Rushdie spent years in hiding, but after Iran announced it would not enforce the decree he traveled freely over the past quarter century. Matar pleaded not guilty to a three-count indictment charging him with providing material to terrorists, attempting to provide material support to Hezbollah and engaging in terrorism transcending national boundaries. Video of the assault, captured by the venue's cameras and played at trial, show Matar approaching the seated Rushdie from behind and reaching around him to stab at his torso with a knife. As the audience gasps and screams, Rushdie is seen raising his arms and rising from his seat, walking and stumbling for a few steps with Matar hanging on, swinging and stabbing until they both fall and are surrounded by onlookers who rush in to separate them. Jurors in Matar's first trial delivered their verdict after less than two hours of deliberation.
