Rushdie attacker convicted of terrorism in US court

A US federal court jury convicted Hadi Matar on terrorism charges for the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie. Matar, 28, was found guilty of all charges, including engaging in an act of transnational terrorism. He is already serving a 25-year sentence for attempted murder related to the attack. The conviction carries a potential life sentence. Prosecutors argued Matar acted on the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khamenei's 1989 call for Rushdie's death over his book "The Satanic Verses." Matar's defense claimed the government lacked proof of his motives. Rushdie testified that the wounds from the attack were "dispersed across my body." He recounted leading a public life without trouble for over two decades until the attack, despite the fatwa never being rescinded. An Iranian foundation had offered a bounty for Rushdie's killing. Evidence presented in court showed Matar repeatedly discussing the fatwa with contacts in messaging apps. He expressed the belief that Rushdie had attacked Islam and that his survival emboldened others to insult the faith. Matar, a US citizen also holding Lebanese citizenship, allegedly showed support for Hezbollah, a designated terrorist organization.

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I can't say what his ambitions or his aim was, but the wounds were dispersed across my body.