A federal jury in Buffalo, New York, returned a guilty verdict Wednesday on all terrorism counts against Hadi Matar for the August 2022 assault on world-renowned author Salman Rushdie, The Associated Press reported.
The panel found Matar guilty on every charge brought against him, including engaging in an act of transnational terrorism.
The 28-year-old defendant is currently serving a 25-year term in New York state custody after a prior conviction for attempted murder linked to the same incident. His federal conviction carries the possibility of life imprisonment.
The violent assault occurred as Rushdie prepared to deliver a lecture focusing on the safety of writers at an outdoor venue in western New York. Attackers struck the author 15 times before a shocked crowd, leaving him critically injured and resulting in the loss of sight in his right eye.
Federal prosecutors argued that Matar acted to carry out the 1989 decree issued by Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which condemned Rushdie to death for allegedly blaspheming Islam and its prophet Mohammed in his book "The Satanic Verses." Defense attorney Nathaniel Barone challenged the prosecution's narrative, contending that authorities failed to present concrete proof regarding his client's state of mind.
Matar chose not to take the stand during the trial. Rushdie, however, delivered testimony, telling the court, "I can’t say what his ambitions or his aim was, but the wounds were dispersed across my body."
Matar said after the stabbing he didn’t think the author would survive and would not specify if he was inspired by the fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death.
Although Iran's foreign ministry in 1998 assured Britain that Iran would do nothing to implement the fatwa against Rushdie, the religious decree was never formally cancelled. In 2017, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - Khomeini's successor - signaled that the directive remained active, and an Iranian entity maintained a bounty exceeding $3 million for Rushdie's death.
Court evidence revealed that Matar discussed the fatwa in digital messaging applications throughout 2021 and 2022. The records showed Matar expressing frustration over Rushdie's survival, claiming the author had insulted Islam and that his continued living encouraged others to do the same. In those exchanges, Matar also referenced 2006 statements by Hassan Nasrallah, the late leader of the Hezbollah terrorist organization.
Although born in the United States, Matar also holds Lebanese citizenship, where Hezbollah operates. Prosecutors stated that investigative findings - including images found on Matar's computer and in his New Jersey home - demonstrated his allegiance to Hezbollah, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the US government.
Following the attack, Rushdie detailed his recovery in a 2024 memoir before returning to fictional storytelling.