Salman Rushdie attacker faces new trial on terrorism charges

The man convicted of the near-fatal stabbing of author Salman Rushdie is now facing a new trial on terrorism charges. Hadi Matar, who was sentenced in 2025 for attempted murder and assault, is accused by prosecutors of attempting to fulfill a fatwa issued decades ago. This religious edict called for Rushdie's killing due to his novel "The Satanic Verses," which some Muslims deemed blasphemous.

The attack left the now 79-year-old Rushdie, an Indian-British writer, nearly dead and blind in one eye. Matar, 28, has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges, including transnational terrorism. Prosecutors contend that evidence, including writings and other materials, indicates Matar acted out of loyalty to Iran's theocratic government and the Hezbollah militia, which was supported by Iran. The original fatwa was issued by the late spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khomeini.

The new trial is taking place in a federal court in Buffalo, New York, approximately 70 miles from the Chautauqua Institution where the attack occurred in 2022. Salman Rushdie himself is expected to testify in the coming days. Matar is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for the initial charges stemming from the stabbing.

Matar's attorney, Nathaniel Barone, has urged the jury not to rush to judgment, stating that the government does not fully understand Matar's motives or state of mind at the time of the attack. If convicted of the terrorism charges, Matar faces a potential life sentence in addition to his current sentence.

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The jury should not rush to judgment. The government does not know what Matar's motives were for the act and how he thought at the time.