Rushdie attacker convicted of terrorism for 2022 stabbing, faces life sentence on 3 November

The federal verdict

A federal jury in Buffalo, New York, convicted Hadi Matar on 29 July 2026 of engaging in an act of terrorism and providing material support to Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group. The 28-year-old Lebanese-American had already been sentenced to 25 years in state prison for attempted murder. The jury needed only about two hours of deliberation after a week-long trial.

“Hadi Matar chose to align his values with the terroristic values of the leaders of Iran.”

Prosecutors presented evidence that Matar spent months planning the attack, driven by loyalty to Iran's leadership and Hezbollah. Investigators found Hezbollah materials in his home, and he had created videos about the fatwa against Rushdie. The conviction adds a federal terrorism count that carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

The attack and its aftermath

On 12 August 2022, Matar rushed the stage at the Chautauqua Institution in Mayville, New York, where Rushdie was about to speak at a free speech conference. He stabbed the author more than a dozen times with a six-inch blade. Rushdie survived but lost sight in one eye. The attack was witnessed by hundreds and captured on camera.

“His brutal attack on Mr. Rushdie during a peaceful speaking event is a chilling reminder of the global reach of Iranian terrorism.”

Rushdie testified for nearly an hour during the federal trial, recounting the assault. He later published a memoir, "Knife," in 2024, and a documentary about the attack premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

The fatwa and motive

Federal prosecutors tied Matar's actions directly to the fatwa issued in 1989 by Iran's then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who called for Rushdie's execution over the novel "The Satanic Verses." The fatwa was reaffirmed in 2017 by Khomeini's successor, Ali Khamenei, and endorsed in a 2006 speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Matar, prosecutors said, immersed himself in Hezbollah's violent ideology for more than a year and prepared to act on the fatwa.

Iran's denial

Iran's government has denied any involvement in the 2022 stabbing. Its foreign ministry spokesman at the time suggested Rushdie had courted trouble by insulting Islam. Nasrallah never commented on the attack. The denial was noted in the same Justice Department statement that described the attack as part of the global reach of Iranian terrorism.

What happens next

Matar is already serving a 25-year sentence in a New York state prison. His federal sentencing is set for 3 November 2026, when he faces a potential life term. His attorney, Nathaniel Barone II, told the New York Times that he intends to appeal the ruling. Matar had previously told a reporter that he believed Rushdie had "attacked Islam."