Man convicted in terrorism trial over 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie

In this courtroom sketch, Salman Rushdie, left, testifies in federal court during the terrorism trial for Hadi Matar, Rushdie's alleged attacker, shown second from bottom left. File | Photo Credit: AP A man was convicted Wednesday (July 29, 2026) of federal terrorism charges in the 2022 stabbing of Salman Rushdie, the author who has faced a decades-old death threat over his novel “The Satanic Verses”.A jury found Hadi Matar guilty of all the charges against him, including engaging in an act of transnational terrorism.Matar, 28, is already serving a 25-year New York state prison sentence on an attempted murder conviction in the August 2022 attack on an amphitheatre stage. The federal conviction carries a potential life sentence.Rushdie, who was about to speak on writers' safety, was slashed 15 times in front of a stunned audience. He was gravely wounded and lost the sight in his right eye. Published - July 30, 2026 02:43 am IST