Salman Rushdie attacker convicted on US federal terrorism charges

The man who stabbed renowned author Salman Rushdie during a public event in 2022 has been found guilty on multiple federal terrorism charges in the United States. The verdict marks another major legal milestone in a case that drew worldwide attention because of the long standing threats against the celebrated novelist.

A federal jury in Buffalo, New York, convicted 28 year old Hadi Matar after only a few hours of deliberation. Prosecutors argued that the attack was motivated by decades old calls for Rushdie’s death following the publication of his controversial novel The Satanic Verses. Matar was found guilty of attempting to provide material support to Hezbollah, engaging in terrorism across national borders, and providing support to terrorists.

Matar is already serving a 25 year prison sentence after being convicted in a New York state court for attempted murder. Following the federal conviction, he now faces the possibility of life imprisonment when he is sentenced in November.

The federal trial began last week and included testimony from Rushdie himself. The 79 year old author described the attack that left him with life changing injuries. The defence did not call Matar or any other witnesses to testify during the proceedings.

Rushdie has lived under threat since the publication of The Satanic Verses in 1988. The novel sparked widespread controversy in parts of the Muslim world, leading Iran’s then Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to issue a religious decree in 1989 calling for the author’s death. The fatwa also targeted people involved in publishing the book and led to violent attacks over the following years, including the killing of Japanese translator Hitoshi Igarashi in 1991.

Although the Iranian government later distanced itself from the fatwa, US prosecutors said it continued to receive support from Hezbollah leaders and was reaffirmed by Iran’s current Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence showing that Matar spent more than a year studying the fatwa before carrying out the attack. They argued that he deliberately planned the assault to carry out the religious decree against Rushdie.

The attack took place on August 12, 2022, while Rushdie was preparing to speak at the Chautauqua Institution, an educational and cultural centre in New York state. Matar rushed onto the stage and repeatedly stabbed the author before audience members intervened and restrained him until police arrived.

Rushdie suffered multiple stab wounds to his head, neck, chest, and hand. The injuries permanently blinded him in one eye and caused severe damage to several internal organs. Another man on stage was also injured during the incident.

Born in the United States and holding Lebanese citizenship, Matar had been living in New Jersey before the attack. His conviction in state court earlier resulted in a 25 year prison sentence, but the federal terrorism charges carry significantly harsher penalties.

Rushdie, who was born in India and later became a British and American citizen, spent many years under police protection after the fatwa was issued. He lived largely in hiding throughout the 1990s before gradually returning to public life and eventually settling in New York City.

The latest verdict closes another chapter in one of the most widely followed literary and terrorism related cases in recent history. It also reinforces the long lasting impact of threats that began nearly four decades ago over a work of fiction and continued to influence events many years later.