Federal terrorism trial begins for attacker of author Salman Rushdie

A federal terrorism trial opened on July 22, 2026 at the U.S. courthouse in Buffalo, New York, charging Hadi Matar, 28, with engaging in an act of transnational terrorism for the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie. Matar, already serving a 25‑year New York state sentence for attempted murder, faces a potential life sentence if convicted on the federal charges.

Prosecutors say the attack was motivated by a decades‑old fatwa issued by Iran’s late Ayatollah Khomeini, arguing that Matar acted out of loyalty to the Iranian theocratic government and the Iran‑backed Hezbollah group. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Lynch stated, “Fulfill the fatwa — that’s what Hadi Matar intended to do.”

Rushdie, the 79‑year‑old Booker Prize‑winning author, is expected to testify about the assault, describing how he was stabbed repeatedly, blinded in one eye and injured elsewhere. He previously told the court, “It was an enormous and expansive lake of blood.” Defense lawyers contend that the prosecution cannot prove Matar’s specific intent, urging jurors to keep an open mind about the motive.