A jury convicted Hadi Matar on federal terrorism charges Wednesday for the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie, who had faced a decades-old death threat over his novel “The Satanic Verses.”
Matar, 28, was found guilty of all charges, including engaging in an act of transnational terrorism. He is currently serving a 25-year sentence in New York state prison for attempted murder related to the August 2022 attack. The federal conviction carries a potential life sentence.
Rushdie was about to speak on writers’ safety when he was attacked on stage and slashed 15 times. He sustained severe wounds and lost sight in his right eye.
Prosecutors argued that Matar was motivated by the 1989 call for Rushdie’s death issued by Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini due to “The Satanic Verses.” Matar’s defense attorney stated the government lacked proof of Matar’s intentions.
Rushdie testified during the trial, telling jurors, “I can’t say what his ambitions or his aim was, but the wounds were dispersed across my body.”
“The Satanic Verses,” published in 1988, led to protests in the Muslim world, with some viewing it as blasphemous. Over the years, the controversy surrounding the book resulted in at least 45 deaths in riots, the stabbing death of a Japanese translator, an attack on an Italian translator, and a shooting that targeted the book’s Norwegian publisher.
Rushdie, who comes from a Muslim background, described the controversial dream sequence in the novel as just that. He lived in hiding for years before gradually re-emerging after Iran’s government distanced itself from Khomeini’s religious edict in 1998. Rushdie testified that for more than two decades, he lived without incident until the 2022 attack.
The fatwa was never officially rescinded. In 2017, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khomeini’s successor, indicated the religious edict remained in effect, and an Iranian foundation has offered a bounty exceeding $3 million for Rushdie’s killing.
Evidence presented in court showed Matar had discussed the fatwa with contacts on messaging apps in 2021 and 2022. Messages indicated Matar’s anger that Rushdie had insulted Islam and, by surviving, emboldened others to do the same. Matar also referenced a 2006 comment by the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, according to the exhibits.
Matar, a U.S. citizen, also holds Lebanese citizenship. Prosecutors stated that photos found in Matar’s New Jersey bedroom and on his computer displayed support for Hezbollah, which the U.S. designates as a terrorist organization.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Lynch stated in an opening argument that Matar aimed to fulfill the fatwa and “wanted everyone to know he was doing this for Hezbollah.” According to Lynch, messages showed Matar’s plans evolved from exposing Rushdie to killing him, with one private note reading, “We need to kill him ASAP.” Lynch added that Matar framed the planned assassination as part of what he considered a holy war.
By the spring of 2022, electronic communications showed Matar had identified Rushdie’s residence and was monitoring his public appearances. He pinpointed the author’s scheduled talk at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York in August 2022.
During Rushdie’s introduction on stage, Matar attacked him, stabbing him repeatedly. Bystanders and another speaker, Henry Reese, intervened to help Rushdie. Law enforcement officers, who were present for security, arrested Matar after civilians restrained him.
Rushdie, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, published a memoir about the attack in 2024 and released a new novel last year. He received a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to literature in November.