The 77-year-old British-American writer was stabbed multiple times as he was preparing to give a speech in New York in 2022.Why you can trust Sky News
A man has been found guilty of attempted murder over an attack on author Sir Salman Rushdie.

The 77-year-old British-American writer was stabbed multiple times as he was preparing to give a speech in New York in 2022.
He was blinded in his right eye in the incident, suffered a severely damaged hand, and spent months recovering.

Following a trial in Chautauqua County Court, Hadi Matar, 27, was found guilty by a jury of attempting to murder Sir Salman after less than two hours of deliberations.

He was also found guilty of assault for wounding Henry Reese, who was on stage with Sir Salman at the time.

Matar gave no obvious reaction to the verdict, and quietly muttered “free Palestine” as he was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs.

Hadi Matar charged with severely injuring author Salman Rushdie in a 2022 knife attack, speaks to his defence team in Chautauqua County court in Mayville.

Hadi Matar was found guilty by a jury after less than two hours of deliberations. Pic: AP
The court heard Matar ran onto the stage at the Chautauqua Institution where the author was about to speak on 12 August 2022, and stabbed him in front of an audience.

The Indian-born writer, who spent most of the 1990s in hiding in the UK after receiving death threats over his 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, was stabbed about 15 times.

Sir Salman was attacked in the head, neck, torso, and left hand. He also suffered damage to his liver and intestines.