Salman Rushdie's Attacker Faces New Charges of Supporting Terrorism

Hadi Matar, who attacked author Salman Rushdie in New York, is now charged with supporting Hezbollah. This federal charge follows his rejection of a plea deal in a state case. Matar's trial will proceed separately on state and federal levels.

Hadi Matar, the individual who critically injured author Salman Rushdie in a 2022 knife attack, now faces an additional charge of supporting a terrorist organization. A federal indictment in Buffalo accuses Matar of providing material support to Hezbollah, a militant group supported by Iran.

The new federal charge emerges after Matar declined a plea offer from state prosecutors, which would have reduced his prison sentence had he pled guilty to attempted murder and assault in Chautauqua County Court. The plea deal also required a guilty plea to a federal terrorism-related charge, not yet filed at the time.

With Matar's rejection of the plea deal, the state and federal cases will proceed to trial independently, with jury selection in the state case scheduled for October 15. Matar has been detained without bail since the 2022 assault, which left Rushdie blinded in one eye and injured moderator Henry Reese. Rushdie's memoir detailing his recovery was published in April.