Convicted assailant of author Salman Rushdie found guilty of federal terrorism charges

Hadi Matar, who stabbed and partially blinded author Salman Rushdie in 2022, was found guilty on Wednesday of federal terrorism charges, including attempting to provide material support to Hezbollah. The jury deliberated for two hours. Matar faces up to life in prison; sentencing is set for November 3.

Hadi Matar, the man who stabbed and partially blinded author Salman Rushdie during a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in 2022, was found guilty on Wednesday of federal terrorism charges. A jury in Buffalo, New York, convicted Matar, 28, of attempting to provide material support to Hezbollah, a US-designated terrorist organization, as well as engaging in transnational terrorism and providing material support to terrorists. The verdict came after just two hours of deliberation, capping a trial that began the previous Tuesday. Prosecutors presented evidence that Matar spent over a year researching the fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini against Rushdie before carrying out the attack. Rushdie, 79, was stabbed multiple times in the head, neck, torso, and left hand, losing sight in his right eye and suffering internal injuries requiring emergency surgery. Matar had already been convicted of attempted murder in New York state court in 2025 and sentenced to 25 years. The federal conviction carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, with sentencing scheduled for November 3.