By Alyce McFadden 

The New York Times

The man convicted of trying to stab Salman Rushdie to death was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison for the attack, which left Mr. Rushdie critically injured and blind in one eye.

The man, Mr. Matar, spoke briefly during his sentencing in a courtroom in Chautauqua County, in Western New York, saying that he believed Mr. Rushdie to be a hypocrite and a bully.

Judge David W. Foley, who presided over the case, told Mr. Matar that he was unpersuaded by his statement and that he had been disturbed by the case.

The judge said that he had decided that a 25-year sentence was necessary to prevent Mr. Matar from committing additional attacks, whether against Mr. Rushdie or someone else.

Mr. Matar, 27, had been found guilty in February of trying to kill Mr. Rushdie in the harrowing knife attack, which took place as the author was preparing to give a talk at the Chatauqua Institution, a summer resort and cultural center, in 2022.

Mr. Rushdie testified at the outset of the trial, telling jurors that he had been stabbed and slashed more than a dozen times before bystanders pulled Mr. Matar off him.

“It occurred to me quite clearly that I was dying,” he said. “And that was my predominant thought.”

The trial, which like the sentencing took place in Mayville, N.Y., a small town about an hour south of Buffalo, lasted less than two weeks. The prosecution called several witnesses, including Mr. Rushdie; the defense called none. Mr. Matar declined to testify.

Jurors deliberated for less than two hours before returning their verdict.

For decades before he was attacked, Mr. Rushdie had lived under threat.

His 1988 novel, “The Satanic Verses,” included a fictionalized representation of the Prophet Muhammad that many Muslims deemed blasphemous. In 1989, Iran’s supreme leader issued a religious edict against Mr. Rushdie, calling for his death.

Alyce McFadden is a reporter covering New York City and a member of the 2024-25 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers.