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Or sign-in if you have an account.Hadi Matar, the man convicted of stabbing author Salman Rushdie arrives for his sentencing hearing at the Chautauqua County Courthouse in Chautauqua, New York, on May 16, 2025. Photo by GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty ImagesNEW YORK — Novelist Salman Rushdie on Thursday testified at the federal trial of the man who tried to kill him with a knife at a New York cultural center in 2022.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorHadi Matar, a 28-year-old Lebanese-American, was sentenced last year to 25 years in prison by New York state’s justice system for the attempted murder, which left Rushdie blind in one eye.He is now standing trial on terrorism charges before a federal court in Buffalo, in northwestern New York.Prosecutors allege that Matar was motivated by a fatwa that Ayatollah Khomeini, then leader of Iran, issued in 1989 following Rushdie’s depiction of a fictionalized Prophet Muhammad in his novel “The Satanic Verses.”Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againThey also accuse Matar of supporting Hezbollah, the pro-Iranian Lebanese terrorist movement, as investigators found materials from the organization at his home.Asked Thursday if he believed Matar was motivated to carry out the fatwa, Rushdie replied: “I had no knowledge of that. I have my suspicions,” according to U.S. media.Rushdie lived in seclusion in London for a decade after the 1989 fatwa, but for the past 20 years — until the attack — he lived relatively normally in New York.He spoke in court for nearly an hour about the assault that saw Matar stab him about 10 times with a six-inch blade as Rushdie was about to address a free-speech conference.Matar’s defense lawyers said he never acted on behalf of any terrorist organization, even if he was angry about the blasphemous nature of “The Satanic Verses.”If convicted, he faces a possible sentence of life in prison.Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. 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