Salman Rushdie's Attacker Convicted on Terrorism Charges

Hadi Matar has been convicted on terrorism charges for the brutal stabbing of author Salman Rushdie, which left him severely injured. The attack was linked to a fatwa issued by Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini. Matar's connections to Hezbollah were highlighted during the trial, and he faces a potential life sentence. Rushdie, who has since written about the incident, was attacked while participating in a literary event. This case raises significant questions about freedom of expression and the consequences of extremist ideologies.

By Narendra Chaudhary Jul 30, 2026, 11:53 IST

Conviction of Hadi Matar

File image of the accused(Photo: X)

New York, July 30: A man who brutally stabbed author Salman Rushdie multiple times, resulting in the loss of his eye, has been found guilty of terrorism.

On Wednesday, a federal jury determined that Hadi Matar acted under the influence of Iran and assisted a terrorist organization.

Matar's attack was an attempt to fulfill the fatwa issued by the late Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, which called for Rushdie's death due to the perceived blasphemy in his novel, 'Satanic Verses'.

The jury also supported the prosecution's claims that Matar, a Lebanese American, had connections to Hezbollah, a group aligned with Iran, which contributed to the charge of aiding a terrorist organization.

Evidence presented by prosecutors included a photograph of Matar wearing a Hezbollah-themed shirt and a propaganda video featuring speeches from Khomeini and a Hezbollah leader.

At 28 years old, Matar had previously been convicted in a New York State court for attempting to murder Rushdie and is currently serving a 25-year sentence.

In the U.S. legal framework, individuals can face trials in both state and federal courts for the same incident.

When sentenced in November at the federal court in Buffalo, Matar may receive a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Matar's attorney, Nathaniel Barone, acknowledged the attack but claimed that Matar acted alone, without coordination from Iran or Hezbollah, motivated by his outrage over Rushdie's alleged blasphemy.

Following the fatwa, Rushdie, a Booker Prize laureate, went into hiding under British government protection.

He later re-emerged and currently resides in New York City, where he teaches at a university.

At the time of the attack, Rushdie, now 79, was participating in a literary event at the Chautauqua Institution, located about 600 kilometers from New York City, where he was ironically scheduled to discuss the protection of writers.

During the trial, Rushdie recounted that he found himself in "an enormous and expansive lake of blood" following the assault.

In addition to losing his left eye, the stabbings caused damage to his left hand and liver, he reported.

Rushdie has since authored a book detailing the incident, titled 'Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder'.