Salman Rushdie’s attacker was convicted Friday of attempted murder for repeatedly stabbing the famed author in a bloody horror that left him blind in one eye.
Hadi Matar, 26, was found guilty by a Chautauqua County, New York, jury of rushing a stage where Rushdie, 77, was giving a lecture at the Chautauqua Institute on Aug. 12, 2022, in a bid to kill the novelist.
Matar — who was born in America but also has Lebanese citizenship — was also found guilty of assault and faces up to 25 years at his sentencing.
The verdict comes after seven days of testimony that featured Rushdie himself recounting the harrowing attack and showing jurors his sightless right eye, which he now keeps hidden under the darkened lens of his eyeglasses.