Hadi Matar is on trial in a federal court in Buffalo, New York, over the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie, an attack prosecutors describe as an act of transnational terrorism carried out to fulfill a decades-old fatwa. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Lynch stated that Matar, 28, intended to "fulfill the fatwa" issued by Iran's late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after the publication of Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses, which some Muslims consider blasphemous. The federal case centers on Matar's alleged motive, with prosecutors presenting evidence including journal entries, online searches, and a photo of him wearing a Hezbollah-related t-shirt. They claim he wrote, "We need to kill him ASAP," and referred to the act as a jihad.
Rushdie, now 79, is expected to testify about the assault that left him blind in one eye. The attack occurred at the Chautauqua Institution, where Rushdie was about to speak on writer safety, and was captured on video showing Matar storming the stage and stabbing him repeatedly. Matar, who was wearing a medical mask, was subdued by spectators before a state trooper arrived. He has already been convicted in state court on attempted murder and assault charges and is serving a 25-year sentence. In federal court, he faces charges that could bring a life sentence. Defense attorney Nathaniel Barone questioned the government's ability to prove Matar's intent, telling jurors they must decide what was in his client's mind.
Matar's computer contained material linking him to Hezbollah and the fatwa, including a video about the death decree and messages questioning its current validity. On the day of the attack, he carried a fake driver's license in the name of a Hezbollah figure, prosecutors said. Iran denied involvement in the stabbing, but its former foreign ministry spokesperson suggested Rushdie provoked the response by insulting Islam. The trial continues.
The federal case hinges on proving Matar's intent to carry out a religious edict, not just a violent act. If motive cannot be legally established, the terrorism charge may collapse despite the brutality of the attack. Rushdie's status as a symbol of free speech intensifies scrutiny on whether the justice system can hold individuals accountable for ideologically driven violence. The outcome may depend on how convincingly prosecutors connect digital evidence to a declared fatwa.
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