Hadi Matar faces a potential life sentence after prosecutors said he spent more than a year preparing to assassinate the author in support of Hezbollah.
Hadi Matar, the New Jersey man who nearly killed author Salman Rushdie in a 2022 knife attack, has been convicted by a federal jury on terrorism-related charges after prosecutors argued he acted in support of the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah while attempting to carry out Iran's decades-old fatwa calling for Rushdie's death.
The 28-year-old Fairview, New Jersey, resident was found guilty of attempting to provide material support to Hezbollah, engaging in an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, and providing material support to terrorists, the Department of Justice announced Thursday. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 3 and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
"Matar spent more than a year immersing himself in Hizballah's violent ideology and preparing to act on a fatwa issued by Iran's Ayatollahs calling for Mr. Rushdie's murder," Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said. "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."
According to federal prosecutors, Matar meticulously planned the Aug. 12, 2022 attack at New York's Chautauqua Institution, where Rushdie was preparing to speak. Investigators said he spent more than a year researching the fatwa first issued in 1989 by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after the publication of Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses. The religious decree was later reaffirmed by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and publicly endorsed by former Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah.
Evidence presented during trial showed Matar communicated with individuals in Iran, Australia, and Canada about the fatwa and Hezbollah's support for it. Prosecutors said he also created videos titled "Rushdie_Fatwa 2.0" and "Rushdie_Fatwa 1.6," combining footage about the fatwa with Nasrallah's 2006 speech endorsing it.
Federal investigators also testified that Matar surrounded himself with images of Hezbollah "martyrs" before the attack. He traveled to the Chautauqua Institution using the alias "Hassan Mughniyeh," a name prosecutors said referenced both Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Imad Mughniyeh, the former head of Hezbollah's External Security Organization who orchestrated numerous terrorist attacks. On the morning of the stabbing, prosecutors said Matar visited a Hezbollah website and took screenshots honoring militants who had died during the month of August.
"Hadi Matar, who was born and raised in the United States, chose to align his values with the terroristic values of the leaders of Iran, which often promote violence, and in this case, the call for murder," US Attorney Michael DiGiacomo said.
"The defendant spent months planning and preparing to carry out what he hoped would be the execution of Salman Rushdie and possibly follow in the footsteps of martyrs he admired. Instead, his attempted act of terror failed, and Salman Rushdie survived, thanks to courageous members of the public and law enforcement, who saved Rushdie and captured Matar."
Assistant Director Jarod Brown of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division said the evidence demonstrated the attack "was not an impulsive act."
"Matar conducted a violent attack in support of a designated foreign terrorist organization and wanted to carry out a fatwa against the victim," Brown said.
Rushdie survived the attack after being stabbed approximately 15 times, but permanently lost sight in one eye and suffered life-altering injuries. Earlier this year, Matar was sentenced in New York state court to 25 years in prison after being convicted of attempted murder and assault in connection with the stabbing. The federal conviction is separate and carries the possibility of an additional life sentence.
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