Sawt Falasteen - Rushdie assailant convicted of terrorism charges

Hadi Matar, a 28-year-old Lebanese American, "chose to align his values with the terroristic values of the leaders of Iran," said US Attorney Michael DiGiacomo, adding the defendant spent months planning the stabbing that nearly killed Rushdie and left him blind in one eye.

Matar was also convicted of supporting the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, after investigators found materials from the organization at his home.

Federal prosecutors said Matar followed a fatwa calling for Rushdie's execution, first issued in 1989 by the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, for fictionalizing the Prophet Muhammad in his bestselling book, "The Satanic Verses."

The fatwa was reaffirmed in 2017 by Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and endorsed in a 2006 speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, prosecutors said.

"His brutal attack on Mr. Rushdie during a peaceful speaking event is a chilling reminder of the global reach of Iranian terrorism," DiGiacomo said.

- 'I have my suspicions' -

Rushdie testified during Matar's federal trial last week, speaking in court for nearly an hour about the assault.

When asked if he believed Matar was motivated to carry out the fatwa, Rushdie replied: "I had no knowledge of that. I have my suspicions," according to US media.

The attack took place at the Chautauqua Institution in Mayville, New York, during a free speech conference, where then-24-year-old Matar leapt onto the stage and stabbed Rushdie repeatedly with a six-inch blade.

In 2024, Rushdie published a memoir recounting the near-death experience called "Knife," in which he has an imagined conversation with Matar.

A documentary about the assault, titled "Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie," premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

Matar was already convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison by the New York state justice system, and now faces an additional maximum federal penalty of life in prison.

He is due for sentencing Nov. 3, though the New York Times reported Matar's attorney, Nathaniel Barone II, said he intended to appeal the ruling.

Matar told a reporter before his trials that he believed Rushdie had "attacked Islam."

Rushdie lived in seclusion in London for a decade after the 1989 fatwa, but for the past 20 years -- until the attack -- lived relatively normally in New York.

In 2026, Rushdie said violence is the tool of "the unscrupulous using the ignorant" to attack culture.

"For the authoritarian, culture is the enemy. Whether that's journalism or universities or music or writing," Rushdie said. "The uncultured and ignorant, and the radical don't like it, and they take steps against it, which we see every day."

M.AbuKhalil--SF-PST