Salman Rushdie Attacker Hadi Matar Convicted of Terrorism in U.S. Court

A U.S. federal court has convicted Hadi Matar, the man who attacked author Salman Rushdie, on terrorism charges. The verdict was delivered on Wednesday, according to NBC News.

Matar is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence following his conviction for attempted murder in the August 2022 assault. During that attack, which occurred during a lecture in New York, Matar repeatedly stabbed the 79-year-old British-Indian author.

The recent terrorism conviction carries the potential for a life sentence. Federal prosecutors argued that Matar was motivated by the 1989 fatwa issued by Iran's then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini, which called for the death of Rushdie for blasphemy related to his 1988 novel, "The Satanic Verses."

Rushdie suffered severe injuries in the attack, losing sight in his right eye and sustaining damage to his hands, liver, and intestines. He spent 17 days in a Pennsylvania hospital and over three weeks in a New York rehabilitation center following the assault. Matar has previously told media outlets that he had read parts of "The Satanic Verses" and believed Rushdie had attacked Islam.