Key facts
- Hadi Matar, who previously received a 25-year sentence for attempted murder, is now on trial for federal terrorism charges.
- The trial is taking place in Buffalo, New York, approximately 70 miles from where the attack on Salman Rushdie occurred.
- Prosecutors contend Matar acted in response to a 1989 fatwa against Rushdie and in service of Hezbollah.
- Evidence presented includes Matar's research into attack methods, notes on Rushdie's age, and propaganda materials.
- Salman Rushdie, who lost an eye and suffered nerve damage in the 2022 attack, is expected to testify.
Hadi Matar, the individual responsible for the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie, is now facing a federal terrorism trial in Buffalo, New York. Matar, who was previously convicted of attempted murder and assault at the state level and sentenced to 25 years in prison, denies the federal charges, which include providing material support to terrorists and committing an act of transnational terrorism. A conviction on these charges could result in a life sentence.
The trial, located about 70 miles from the Chautauqua Institution where the attack occurred in August 2022, centers on whether Matar acted under the influence of the 1989 fatwa issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini against Rushdie for his novel "The Satanic Verses." Prosecutors also allege Matar was acting in support of Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia.
Rushdie, 79, survived the attack but sustained severe injuries, including the loss of an eye and lasting nerve damage. He is expected to testify during the trial, which is estimated to last two weeks. Investigators have presented evidence from Matar's electronic devices and journal, suggesting detailed planning, including notes weighing the urgency of an attack given Rushdie's age. Photographs of Khomeini and his successor, Ali Khamenei, were reportedly found in Matar's New Jersey bedroom.
Further allegations include Matar's production and circulation of propaganda videos featuring a 2006 speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Court filings also indicate Matar corresponded with an Iran-based contact in the months prior to the stabbing, inquiring about the fatwa's status and seeking information on Rushdie's whereabouts. Iran has denied any involvement in the 2022 attack, though the fatwa has never been formally rescinded. Rushdie, a Booker Prize winner, published a memoir about the attack, "Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder," in 2024.