Hadi Matar, the defendant, said he believed Mr. Rushdie to be a hypocrite. His attack left the acclaimed author blind in one eye.

In February, a jury found Hadi Matar guilty of attempted murder in the 2022 stabbing attack on Salman Rushdie while the author was on stage at a speaking event.

Hadi Matar got the maximum sentence for attempted murder. He was found guilty in February for repeatedly stabbing author Salman Rushdie during a 2022 lecture and wounding another person on stage.