Man Who Stabbed Salman Rushdie Convicted of Supporting Foreign Terror Group
Hadi Matar was found guilty of providing material support to a terrorist organization and carrying out an act of terrorism, facing a potential life sentence.
A federal jury in Buffalo convicted Hadi Matar, 28, of providing material support to a foreign terrorist group and committing an act of terrorism that crossed national borders. The verdict, reached after two hours of deliberation, adds to his earlier state conviction for attempted murder, for which he received a 25-year sentence.
Matar attacked author Salman Rushdie at a literary event in western New York in August 2022, stabbing the writer more than a dozen times. Rushdie survived but suffered severe nerve damage and loss of vision in his right eye.
"The evidence shows that the defendant acted in coordination with a foreign terrorist organization and carried out an attack motivated by that affiliation," the jury foreperson said.
The new federal conviction means Matar could remain incarcerated for the rest of his life.