A federal jury in the United States on Wednesday convicted Hadi Matar, the man who stabbed celebrated author Salman Rushdie and destroyed his left eye, on terrorism-related charges — finding that he acted on Iran's instructions and provided material support to a terrorist organisation. The verdict, delivered in a federal court, marks a significant escalation in the legal consequences Matar faces for the 2022 attack.

What the Jury Found

The jury agreed with federal prosecutors who argued that Matar, 28, a Lebanese American, carried out the stabbing in furtherance of a fatwa issued by the late Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, which called for Rushdie's death on the grounds that his novel 'Satanic Verses' was blasphemous. Prosecutors also linked Matar to the Lebanon-based, Iran-aligned militant group Hezbollah, securing a conviction on the charge of aiding a terrorist organisation.

As evidence, prosecutors presented a photograph of Matar wearing a shirt bearing Hezbollah insignia, as well as a propaganda video he had produced featuring speeches by Khomeini and a Hezbollah leader.

Defence Argument and Prior Conviction

Matar's lawyer, Nathaniel Barone, did not contest the fact that his client had attacked Rushdie, but maintained that Matar acted independently — driven by personal religious outrage over what he considered blasphemy — and not in coordination with Iran or Hezbollah. The defence argument was ultimately rejected by the jury.

Matar had already been convicted in New York State court last year on charges of attempted murder and is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence. Under the US legal system, a person may be tried separately in state and federal courts for the same incident under their respective laws — a process known as dual sovereignty.

What Rushdie Endured

Rushdie, 79, testified during the trial that he found himself in 'an enormous and expansive lake of blood' following the attack. The stabbings destroyed his left eye, damaged his left hand, and injured his liver, he said. The attack occurred while Rushdie was participating in a literary programme at the Chautauqua Institution, an arts and culture centre approximately 600 kilometres from New York City — and, in a grim irony, he was scheduled to speak on the protection of writers at the time.

Rushdie has since written a memoir about the experience titled 'Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder'.

Background: The Fatwa and Rushdie's Life Underground

The roots of the attack stretch back more than three decades. After Ayatollah Khomeini issued the fatwa in 1989, Rushdie — a Booker Prize winner — was forced to go underground under British government protection for years. He eventually re-emerged into public life and now resides in New York City, where he holds a professorship at a university.

What Happens Next

Matar is scheduled to be sentenced in November at the federal court in Buffalo, New York. Federal prosecutors are seeking a life sentence without parole, which would be served in addition to his existing 25-year state sentence. The case is widely seen as a landmark test of US federal terrorism statutes in the context of Iran-linked violence on American soil.