Conviction of Salman Rushdie's attacker on charges of terrorism and supporting Hezbollah

New York – AFP, Reuters – A US federal jury convicted Hadi Matar, 28, of supporting Hezbollah and committing an act of terrorism following his attack on British-Indian-American author Salman Rushdie at a cultural center in New York on August 12, 2022.

The Department of Justice stated in a statement on Wednesday evening that Matar, an American of Lebanese descent, “attempted to provide material support to Hezbollah (...) and committed an act of transnational terrorism, providing material support to terrorists,” noting that he faces a life sentence.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 3.

Last year, Matar was sentenced in New York to 25 years in prison for attempted murder of Rushdie, but he was tried this time on charges of “committing an act of terrorism” and “attempting to provide support” to a terrorist organization.

His lawyer, Nathaniel Baron II, announced his intention to appeal the verdict, arguing that Matar never acted on behalf of any terrorist organization, even if his motive was anger against the author over what he considered offensive content in his novel “The Satanic Verses.”

US Attorney Michael Degiacomo stated that Matar “chose to align his values with the terrorist values of Iran’s leaders,” adding that the defendant spent months planning the stabbing attack that nearly cost Rushdie his life and resulted in the loss of sight in one of his eyes.

Assistant US Attorney John Eisenberg confirmed that “Matar spent more than a year immersing himself in the violent ideology of Hezbollah and preparing to act under the fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989 calling for the killing of Mr. Rushdie.”

Rushdie lost sight in his right eye, suffered stab wounds to his neck, liver, and small intestine, and sustained nerve damage in his arm that led to paralysis.

In 2024, he published an autobiography titled “The Knife,” in which he detailed the ordeal he endured.