New York, July 30 (ANI): A 28-year-old man has been convicted in a federal terrorism case stemming from the 2022 stabbing of acclaimed author Salman Rushdie, the US Department of Justice announced.
A federal jury found Hadi Matar, a resident of Fairview, New Jersey, guilty of attempting to provide material support to Hezbollah, committing an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, and providing material support to terrorists, according to an official statement issued by the Justice Department on Wednesday.
Commenting on the verdict, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said Matar spent “more than a year immersing himself” in the ideology of Hezbollah, a US-designated terrorist organization, while “preparing to act on a fatwa issued by Iran’s Ayatollahs calling for Mr. Rushdie’s murder.”
“His brutal attack on Mr. Rushdie during a peaceful speaking event is a chilling reminder of the global reach of Iranian terrorism. With today’s verdict, justice has been done, and Matar will pay for his crimes,” Eisenberg said.
The attack occurred in August 2022 in New York, when Rushdie was stabbed in the neck moments before he was scheduled to deliver a lecture. The event’s moderator was also injured during the assault. Rushdie sustained life-threatening injuries and required life support.
Rushdie’s 1988 novel The Satanic Verses sparked widespread international controversy after portions of the book were considered blasphemous by some Muslims. In 1989, Iran’s then-Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death over the publication.
According to the Department of Justice, prosecutors presented evidence showing that Matar spent more than a year researching the fatwa before carrying out the knife attack in 2022.
Matar faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for November. (ANI)
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