Salman Rushdie attacker faces US terrorism trial
Summary
Hadi Matar, who stabbed author Salman Rushdie in 2022, is facing a second trial in the U.S. on terrorism charges after already being convicted of attempted murder. Prosecutors say he acted in support of Hezbollah and followed a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death. Rushdie survived but suffered serious injuries.Key Facts
- Hadi Matar stabbed Salman Rushdie multiple times during a public talk in New York in August 2022.
- Matar was convicted of attempted murder and assault in a state trial and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
- He denies terrorism charges including supporting terrorists and transnational terrorism, which could lead to life in prison.
- Prosecutors claim Matar acted because of a 1989 fatwa from ayatollah Khomeini calling for Rushdie’s death over his book The Satanic Verses.
- They also allege Matar had connections to Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia, and researched details about carrying out the attack.
- Evidence includes notes, propaganda videos, photos of Khomeini, and communications with an Iran-based contact.
- Salman Rushdie lost the use of one eye and suffered lasting nerve damage but survived the attack.
- Rushdie published a memoir in 2024 about the attack called Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder.
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