Salman Rushdie attacker convicted of terror offenses

A U.S. man who attacked author Salman Rushdie has been convicted of new charges, including providing material support to a terrorist group. Hadi Matar, already serving a 25-year sentence for attempted murder, was found guilty in a New York federal court of aiding Hezbollah, a designated terrorist organization.

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The defendant decided no one was going to do it, so he had to do it. The defendant is the one who answered that call.

Prosecutors presented evidence that Matar's actions were fueled by a religious edict issued in 1989 for Rushdie's death. They argued that Matar plotted the attack for two years, motivated by a 2006 speech by Hezbollah's then-leader. "The defendant decided no one was going to do it, so he had to do it," Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Lynch told the jury, stating Matar "is the one who answered that call."

During the trial, Rushdie testified about the brutal attack, describing how he was stabbed 15 times. He recounted lying in a pool of blood and revealed the extent of his injuries, including partial blindness in one eye, noting the knife came "within millimetres from my brain." He credited a firefighter with saving his life.

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I was on the stage, lying down, with an enormous pool of blood all around me. It was an enormous and expansive lake of blood.

Matar's defense attorneys contended the attack was not terrorism-motivated and questioned Rushdie about potential backlash to his controversial 1988 novel, "The Satanic Verses." Rushdie responded, "I don't believe the book is on trial. Somebody else is on trial." Matar, convicted of transnational terrorism and supporting Hezbollah, now faces a potential life sentence, which would be served in addition to his existing state sentence.

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I don't believe the book is on trial. Somebody else is on trial.