Salman Rushdie's Attacker Convicted of Federal Terrorism Charges
Hadi Matar faces life in prison after a federal jury found him guilty of providing material support to Hezbollah and engaging in transnational terrorism.
A federal jury in Buffalo, New York, on Wednesday found Hadi Matar guilty of all charges against him, including engaging in an act of transnational terrorism and attempting to provide material support to Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. Matar, 28, is already serving a 25-year sentence for attempted murder in the August 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie. The federal conviction carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, with sentencing scheduled for November 3.
Prosecutors argued that Matar was motivated by a fatwa, or religious edict, issued in 1989 by Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini calling for Rushdie’s death over his novel “The Satanic Verses.” They presented evidence that Matar spent more than a year immersing himself in Hezbollah’s ideology and planning the attack, and that he alluded to a 2006 speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah endorsing the fatwa. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Lynch said in his closing statement that Matar “wanted everyone to know he was doing this for Hezbollah.” Defense attorney Nathaniel Barone II countered that the government had no proof of what was in Matar’s head, arguing that Matar acted independently and not at the direction of any terrorist organization. Barone announced his intention to appeal.
During the trial, Rushdie testified about the attack, which occurred on August 12, 2022, at the Chautauqua Institution in Mayville, New York, moments before he was to speak about writers’ safety. He was stabbed 15 times in the head, neck, torso, and left hand, losing sight in his right eye and suffering severe internal injuries. Asked whether he believed Matar attacked him to carry out the fatwa, Rushdie told the court: “I had no knowledge of that. I have my suspicions.” The trial also revealed that Matar had written in a private notebook, “We need to kill him ASAP,” and framed the planned killing as part of a jihad, according to prosecutors.
The fatwa against Rushdie was never officially rescinded. While Iran’s government distanced itself from it in 1998, Khomeini’s successor, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, indicated in 2017 that it remained in effect. An Iranian foundation has offered a bounty of more than $3 million for killing Rushdie. Matar’s sentencing on the federal terrorism charges is set for November 3, after which he will continue serving his state sentence.
| Latin American press | −0.40 | critical |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic / Anglosphere press | −0.60 | critical |
| Chinese press | 0.00 | neutral |
| Indian & South Asian press | 0.00 | neutral |
The conviction of Hadi Matar is framed as a victory against international terrorism, highlighting his support for Iranian-backed Hezbollah. The narrative emphasizes the attacker's motivation by an Iranian fatwa, portraying the attack as an act of transnational terrorism.
The attacker's conviction is reported with a strong focus on the terrorist links to Hezbollah and the decades-old fatwa against Salman Rushdie. The coverage underscores the severity of the terrorism charges and the potential life sentence, often contextualizing the attack within the broader threat of Iranian-sponsored terrorism.
The news is presented in a straightforward, factual manner, noting the conviction on federal terrorism charges without extensive commentary on the political or religious context. The focus remains on the legal proceedings and the existing state sentence, with minimal elaboration on the attacker's motives.
The conviction is reported with a balanced tone, mentioning the fatwa and the injuries sustained by Rushdie, but without the emphasis on Hezbollah found in other blocs. The coverage focuses on the legal outcome and the potential life sentence, providing a straightforward account.
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