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Man convicted over the 2022 stabbing of Salman Rushdie : NPR
NPR • • nation
Key Points:
- Hadi Matar was convicted on federal terrorism charges for the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie, who was attacked during a speaking event and severely wounded, losing sight in one eye.
- Prosecutors linked Matar's motive to the 1989 fatwa issued by Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini calling for Rushdie's death over his novel "The Satanic Verses," though Iran denied involvement.
- Evidence presented showed Matar's months-long planning, including messages expressing his intent to kill Rushdie as part of a jihad, and his support for Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist group.
- Matar, already serving a 25-year sentence for attempted murder in state court, faces potential life imprisonment at his federal sentencing scheduled for November 3.
- Rushdie, who has lived under threat for decades due to his controversial novel, testified about the attack and continues his literary work, recently publishing a memoir and a new novel.
