Salman Rushdie attacker convicted of terror offenses
Summary
A US man named Hadi Matar was convicted in federal court for supporting the terrorist group Hezbollah and carrying out a stabbing attack on author Salman Rushdie. The attack was linked to a religious order from Iran calling for Rushdie’s death. Matar was already serving a 25-year prison term for attempting to kill Rushdie.Key Facts
- Hadi Matar was convicted of providing material support to Hezbollah, a group recognized as terrorist by the US and others.
- Matar stabbed Salman Rushdie 15 times during an attack in 2022.
- The attack was motivated by a fatwa, a religious order from Iran’s leader in 1989, calling for Rushdie’s death.
- Prosecutors said Matar planned the attack for two years after a Hezbollah leader urged the fatwa’s enforcement.
- Rushdie testified at the trial, describing his injuries including partial blindness in one eye.
- Matar was already serving a 25-year sentence after a state court convicted him of attempted murder in 2025.
- The federal conviction could lead to a life sentence for Matar.
- Rushdie’s 1988 novel, The Satanic Verses, sparked the fatwa because some Muslims found it offensive.
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