Hadi Matar Convicted of Terrorism for 2022 Stabbing of Salman Rushdie
On July 29, 2026, a federal jury in Buffalo, New York, convicted Hadi Matar on charges of transnational terrorism and material support to a foreign terrorist organization for the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie. Matar, already serving a 25-year state sentence for attempted murder, faces life imprisonment. The attack, which left Rushdie blind in one eye, was linked to a fatwa issued by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989 over Rushdie’s novel *The Satanic Verses*. Sentencing is set for November 3.
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Hadi Matar Receives Life Sentence for Terrorism in Salman Rushdie Knife Attack
Four years after the 2022 knife attack on author Salman Rushdie, perpetrator Hadi Matar has been convicted on federal terrorism charges by a jury in Buffalo, New York. Matar, a 28-year-old American of Lebanese descent, faces life imprisonment. He was previously sentenced to 25 years by a New York State jury for the attack, which left Rushdie seriously injured with over ten stab wounds, causing the loss of sight in his right eye. The federal jury found Matar guilty of a cross-border terrorist act and supporting terrorists, linking the attack to a 1988 fatwa issued by Iran against Rushdie for his novel 'The Satanic Verses.' US prosecutors argued Matar acted to carry out that fatwa. The sentencing hearing is set for November 3. Iran has denied responsibility, though a bounty for Rushdie's killing reportedly persisted through an Iranian foundation.
U.S. Federal Court Convicts Salman Rushdie Attacker of Terrorism
Nearly three years after the knife attack on author Salman Rushdie, a U.S. federal court in Buffalo has convicted Hadi Matar of transnational terrorism and material support of terrorists, accusing him of acting on behalf of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. Matar, previously sentenced to 25 years for attempted murder in 2025, now faces life imprisonment. The attack occurred in August 2022 during a reading, where Matar stabbed Rushdie more than a dozen times, severing an optic nerve and leaving him blind in one eye. Prosecutors stated Matar planned for months to execute Rushdie to follow in the footsteps of martyrs he admired, enforcing a fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989 over Rushdie's novel 'The Satanic Verses.' Sentencing is scheduled for November 3.
Salman Rushdie testifies against man charged with stabbing him in 2022 attack
Author Salman Rushdie testified on February 11, 2025, in a New York courtroom against Hadi Matar, who is charged with attempted murder and assault for stabbing Rushdie more than a dozen times in August 2022 as he prepared to give a speech. Rushdie, 77, was blinded in one eye and spent months recovering. Matar, 27, has pleaded not guilty. The trial, expected to last up to two weeks, includes testimony from witnesses and video evidence. Prosecutors say the case is straightforward, while the defense argues the elements of the crime must be proven beyond the fact that a bad event occurred. A separate federal terrorism trial is pending, alleging Matar was motivated by a fatwa endorsed by a terrorist organization. The state trial will not discuss the fatwa, as the attack was witnessed by a live audience.
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Hadi Matar Found Guilty in Federal Terrorism Case Linked to Salman Rushdie Stabbing
The Department of Justice announced that Hadi Matar, 28, of Fairview, New Jersey, has been convicted by a federal jury on charges related to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, in connection with the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie. The attack, which occurred during a public event in New York, left Rushdie severely injured but alive. Matar's conviction marks a significant federal terrorism prosecution tied to the high-profile assault, which was motivated by the fatwa issued against Rushdie decades earlier for his novel 'The Satanic Verses.' The DOJ press release confirmed the verdict, though sentencing details were not immediately disclosed.
Man convicted in terrorism trial over 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie
On July 29, 2026, a federal jury in Buffalo convicted Hadi Matar on all charges, including engaging in an act of transnational terrorism, for the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie. Matar, 28, already serving a 25-year state sentence for attempted murder, now faces a potential life sentence. The attack occurred as Rushdie was about to speak on writers' safety; he was stabbed 15 times, losing sight in his right eye. The trial highlighted the decades-old death threat against Rushdie over his novel 'The Satanic Verses'.