The man found guilty of having tried to stab Salman Rushdie to death was sentenced on Friday to 25 years in prison for the attack, which left Mr. Rushdie injured and blind with an eye.
The man, Mr. Matar, spoke briefly during his conviction in a courtroom of the County of Chautauqua, in the west of New York, saying that he believed that Mr. Rushdie was a hypocrite and a tyrant.
Justice David W. Foley, who chaired the case, told Mr. Matar that he had not been convinced by his declaration and that he had been disturbed by the case.
The judge said he had decided that a 25 -year -old sentence was necessary to prevent Matar from committing additional attacks, whether against Mr. Rushdie or someone else.
Mr. Matar, 27, had been found guilty in February to have tried to kill Mr. Rushdie during the heartbreaking attack on the knife, which took place while the author was preparing to give a conference to the institution of Chatauqua, a summer complex and a cultural center, in 2022.
Mr. Rushdie testified at the start of the trial, telling the jurors that he had been stabbed and reduced more than a dozen times before passers -by withdrew Mr. Matar.
“It came to my mind that I die,” he said. “And it was my predominant thought.”
The trial, which, like the conviction, took place in Mayville, NY, a small town about an hour south of Buffalo, lasted less than two weeks. The accusation called several witnesses, including Mr. Rushdie; Defense did not call any. Mr. Matar refused to testify.
The jurors deliberated for less than two hours before returning their verdict.
For decades before being attacked, Mr. Rushdie had lived threatened.
His 1988 novel, “The Satanic Verses”, included a fictitious representation of the Prophet Muhammad that many Muslims considered blasphemous. In 1989, the supreme leader of Iran published a religious edict against Mr. Rushdie, calling for his death.
This is a story in development and will be updated.
