A jury in New York has convicted Hadi Matar, the man who stabbed author Sir Salman Rushdie in 2022, on terrorism charges. Matar, a 28-year-old American-Lebanese resident of New Jersey, was found guilty of engaging in an act of transnational terrorism in connection with the attack, which left Rushdie severely injured and permanently blinded in one eye.

Matar was already serving a 25-year state prison sentence for attempted murder related to the stabbing, which took place at a literary event at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. The jury determined that Matar carried out the assault in allegiance to a foreign terrorist group and acted on orders from the Iranian government. Prosecutors argued that the attack was motivated by a fatwa—issued in 1989 by Iran’s then supreme leader, Ayatollah Khomeini—calling for Rushdie’s death over his controversial novel *The Satanic Verses*.

According to prosecutors, Matar’s actions aligned with the directive of Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based militant group designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government. Evidence introduced included private notes in which Matar allegedly expressed his intent to kill Rushdie, stating, “we need to kill him ASAP,” and resolving to “become a warrior and just get it over with.” After two hours of jury deliberation, the verdict was reached, with Matar facing the possibility of spending the remainder of his life in prison.

Matar’s defense attorney disputed the terrorism allegations, saying there was no concrete evidence to support the claims and suggesting alternative interpretations of Matar’s motivations. Matar did not testify during the federal trial.

Rushdie, who was born in Iran and raised in India and Britain, testified during the trial, describing the attack’s severity and its impact. He recounted the moment he was stabbed, saying he feared for his life as the assailant attacked him repeatedly. The author, known for his Booker Prize-winning novel *Midnight’s Children*, has long faced threats following the publication of *The Satanic Verses*, which some Islamic authorities considered blasphemous.

Iran’s government denied any involvement in the 2022 stabbing. However, at the time, the Iranian foreign ministry suggested that Rushdie had provoked such attacks by insulting Islam.

The 2022 assault, during a public lecture on authors’ safety, garnered global condemnation and reignited debates on religious censorship and freedom of expression. Rushdie subsequently published a memoir, *Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder*, in which he detailed the attack and reaffirmed his commitment to free speech.