A federal jury in Buffalo, New York, convicted Hadi Matar on Tuesday of providing material support to Hezbollah and engaging in transnational terrorism, charges stemming from his 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie. Matar, who is already serving a 25-year state sentence for attempted murder, now faces the possibility of life in prison when he is sentenced on 3 November.
During the trial, prosecutors allege Matar was motivated by the 1989 fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini. Matar refused to testify in his own defence, and the court rejected a defence motion to dismiss the case for insufficient evidence before the prosecution rested its case.
Rushdie was stabbed 15 times during a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in August 2022, sustaining injuries that left him blind in one eye with additional wounds to his liver, intestines, and hand. Closing arguments are expected on Wednesday.