A federal jury in Buffalo, New York, has found Hadi Matar guilty of terrorism-related charges stemming from his brutal 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie. Following a swift two-hour deliberation, the jury convicted the 28-year-old on counts including providing material support to Hezbollah and engaging in terrorism that crossed national borders. Matar, who is already serving a 25-year state prison sentence for attempted murder, now faces the possibility of life in federal prison when he is formally sentenced this November.

The attack, which occurred during a speaking event at the Chautauqua Institution, left the acclaimed Booker Prize winner with severe injuries, including the loss of sight in one eye and permanent damage to his internal organs. Prosecutors successfully argued that Matar was driven by a decades-old fatwa issued against Rushdie following the 1988 publication of The Satanic Verses. Evidence revealed that Matar spent over a year meticulously researching the religious decree before deciding to carry out the assault, an act that sought to fulfill a violent mandate that had haunted the author for the better part of his life.