Jury convicts Salman Rushdie attacker of supporting Hezbollah and terrorism

The man who attacked author Salman Rushdie is facing charges that could result in a life sentence.

A federal jury convicted Hadi Matar, 28, of supporting Hezbollah and of committing an act of terrorism following his attack on Salman Rushdie at a cultural center in New York in August 2022. The conviction carries the possibility of life imprisonment.

Last year, Matar, an American of Lebanese descent, was sentenced in New York to twenty-five years in prison for the attempted murder of the 79-year-old writer. This time, however, he stood trial on charges of committing an act of terrorism and attempting to provide support to a terrorist organization, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, which stated that sentencing is scheduled for November 3.

Matar is accused of supporting Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group designated by the United States as a terrorist organization.

In its statement, the Justice Department said that Hadi Matar « attempted to provide material support to Hezbollah (…) and to commit an act of transnational terrorism, as well as to provide material support to terrorists ».

Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that the jury reached its verdict after only two hours of deliberation, following a trial that lasted one week.

Prosecutors argue that Matar’s attack was motivated by the fatwa issued in 1989 by Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, calling for Rushdie’s death over passages deemed offensive to the Prophet Muhammad in his novel The Satanic Verses.

Terrorist beliefs

Prosecutors contended that Matar had conducted research and produced videos related to the fatwa. Investigators also discovered photographs and materials linked to Hezbollah in his home. In addition, Matar was using a forged driver’s license bearing the name of an individual associated with the group.

According to the statement, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Eisenberg said that « Matar spent more than a year immersing himself in Hezbollah’s violent ideology and preparing to act on the Iranian leader’s fatwa calling for Rushdie’s assassination ».

U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo stated that Matar « chose to align his values with the terrorist values of Iran’s leaders », adding that the defendant spent several months planning the stabbing attack that nearly killed Rushdie and caused him to lose sight in one eye.

The defense, however, argued that Matar never acted on behalf of any terrorist organization, even if his actions were motivated by anger toward what he considered blasphemous content in The Satanic Verses.

His lawyer, Nathaniel Barone II, announced his intention to appeal the verdict, according to The New York Times.