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Federal Jury Convicts Hadi Matar of Terror for Rushdie Stabbing

7/30/2026

23 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

A federal jury convicted Hadi Matar of all charges, including transnational terrorism, for the 2022 stabbing of Salman Rushdie.
Matar, 28, already serves a 25-year New York sentence for attempted murder and now faces life.
Prosecutors said Matar acted to fulfill Khomeini’s 1989 fatwa and wrote “We need to kill him ASAP.”
Rushdie testified he was slashed 15 times, lost sight in one eye and felt he was dying.

History

Historical Context

On 2 November 2004 Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was shot and slashed by Mohammed Bouyeri after his short film Submission, written with Ayaan Hirsi Ali, criticized Islam. The killing sparked 106 violent incidents against mosques and churches in November and led to the arrest of Hofstad Network members, prompting a national debate on blasphemy laws and immigration.

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Story summary

A federal jury convicted Hadi Matar of all charges, including transnational terrorism, for the 2022 stabbing of Salman Rushdie.
Matar, 28, already serves a 25-year New York sentence for attempted murder and now faces life.
Prosecutors said Matar acted to fulfill Khomeini’s 1989 fatwa and wrote “We need to kill him ASAP.”
Rushdie testified he was slashed 15 times, lost sight in one eye and felt he was dying.

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