Salman Rushdie Attacker Convicted Of Terror Charges, Found Guilty Of Aiding Hezbollah
Salman Rushdie Attacker Convicted Of Terror Charges, Found Guilty Of Aiding Hezbollah Published By, Last Updated: July 30, 2026, 05:27 IST Prosecutors said investigators found
Salman Rushdie Attacker Convicted Of Terror Charges, Found Guilty Of Aiding Hezbollah Published By, Last Updated: July 30, 2026, 05:27 IST Prosecutors said investigators found material linked to Hezbollah at Matar's home, leading to the additional terror-related charges. Rushdie had faced threats for decades following the publication of his 1988 novel 'The Satanic Verses'. (AFP photos) The man who stabbed and nearly killed author Salman Rushdie during a public event in New York in 2022 was convicted on Wednesday of federal terrorism charges, including attempting to support Lebanon’s Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. A federal jury in Buffalo, New York, found Hadi Matar, 28, guilty of engaging in transnational terrorism, providing material support to terrorists and attempting to provide support to Hezbollah, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the US.
The jury delivered the verdict after around two hours of deliberations, following a trial that began last week, according to federal prosecutors. Attack left Rushdie blind in one eye Matar was convicted over the August 2022 attack at the Chautauqua Institution in Mayville, New York, where Rushdie was preparing to deliver a lecture on free speech. Prosecutors said Matar had spent more than a year researching the 1989 fatwa issued against Rushdie by Iran’s then Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini before carrying out the attack. Rushdie, now 79, was stabbed multiple times in the head, neck, torso and left hand. The attack left him blind in his right eye and caused serious injuries that required emergency surgery and months of recovery. US Attorney Michael DiGiacomo said Matar had “chosen to align his values with the terroristic values" of Iranian leaders, accusing him of planning the attack over several months.
Prosecutors said investigators found material linked to Hezbollah at Matar’s home, leading to the additional terror-related charges. Matar, a US citizen from Fairview, New Jersey, had already been convicted of attempted murder in a New York state court in 2025 and sentenced to 25 years in prison. The federal conviction carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, with sentencing scheduled for November 3. Rushdie had faced threats for decades following the publication of his 1988 novel ‘The Satanic Verses‘, which sparked outrage among some Muslim groups and led Khomeini to issue a fatwa calling for his death. (With inputs from agencies) News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad.
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