The sentencing of Hadi Matar, the man convicted of the brutal 2022 attack that left celebrated author Salman Rushdie partially blind, has been adjourned until May 16, per theguardian.com. Matar was found guilty of attempted second-degree murder for the on-stage stabbing at a western New York arts institution.
Originally scheduled for April 23, the sentencing hearing in Chautauqua County Court has been pushed back at the request of the defense. Matar faces a potential prison sentence of up to 25 years for the assault that shocked the literary world.
The attack occurred during a literary festival where Rushdie was speaking on the theme of safety for writers. Matar, who admitted to travelling from New Jersey after seeing the event advertised, told the New York Post he disliked Rushdie and accused the author of attacking Islam.
Rushdie, who has lived under death threats since the publication of his controversial novel The Satanic Verses in 1988, suffered 15 stab wounds, resulting in the loss of sight in his right eye and other serious injuries. He testified during the trial, recounting the terrifying moments of the assault.
Following his conviction earlier this year, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt praised the swift action of the community that he said saved Rushdie’s life. Matar was also found guilty of assaulting the event moderator, who sustained a head injury.
A separate trial on federal terrorism-related charges is expected to follow in US District Court in Buffalo. Rushdie recently released a memoir, Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder, detailing the attack and his recovery.
His first fiction since the ordeal, “The Eleventh Hour,” is slated for publication later this year.
