Salman Rushdie attacker convicted of terror-related offences in New York
A New York federal jury has convicted Hadi Matar of transnational terrorism and providing material support to Hezbollah over the 2022 stabbing attack on author Salman Rushdie. The verdict was returned in Buffalo, where the case was heard in federal court. Matar is already serving a 25-year sentence for attempted murder in a separate state case.
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Prosecutors said Matar was motivated by a 1989 fatwa issued by Iran's religious leader calling for Rushdie's death. They also argued that he was influenced by a 2006 speech by the then-leader of Hezbollah and that he spent two years planning the attack. During the trial, jurors were shown videos made by Matar and heard testimony from Rushdie about being stabbed 15 times.
Rushdie told the court that the attack left him partially blinded and that the knife came within millimetres of his brain. He described lying on the stage in a pool of blood before a firefighter provided medical care that helped save his life. The jury also heard defence arguments that the assault was not terrorism-related and that Rushdie should have expected backlash over his 1988 novel The Satanic Verses.
The conviction adds a terrorism finding to a case that has already drawn international attention because of the long-running threats surrounding Rushdie. Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organisation by the US, the UK and several other countries, which gives the verdict wider legal and political significance. The case also highlights how older religious decrees and militant rhetoric can continue to shape violence decades later.
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Rushdie's novel, which drew outrage from some Muslims after its publication, has remained central to the background of the case. Prosecutors linked Matar's actions to that history, while the defence sought to separate the attack from any broader ideological motive. The federal verdict now sits alongside the earlier state conviction, creating the possibility of a life sentence in the new case.
It is not yet clear when Matar will be sentenced on the federal charges. What remains to be seen is how the court will weigh the new conviction alongside his existing prison term. The case is likely to remain a reference point in debates over terrorism, free expression and the long shadow of the fatwa against Rushdie.
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