BUFFALO, N.Y. — A federal jury convicted Hadi Matar, 28, of Fairview, New Jersey, on three terrorism charges for his attempted murder of author Salman Rushdie at the Chautauqua Institution in Mayville, N.Y., the Department of Justice announced.

Matar was found guilty of attempting to provide material support to Hezbollah, a designated foreign terrorist organization; engaging in an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries; and providing material support to terrorists. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

“Matar spent more than a year immersing himself in Hizballah’s violent ideology and preparing to act on a fatwa issued by Iran’s Ayatollahs calling for Mr. Rushdie’s murder,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “His brutal attack on Mr. Rushdie during a peaceful speaking event is a chilling reminder of the global reach of Iranian terrorism. With today’s verdict, justice has been done, and Matar will pay for his crimes.”

On Aug. 12, 2022, Matar attacked Rushdie onstage in an effort to carry out a fatwa calling for the author’s execution over a novel published in 1988. That fatwa was issued in 1989 by the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ruhollah Khomeini; reaffirmed in 2017 by the current Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei; and endorsed in a 2006 speech by Hezbollah’s Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah. Prosecutors presented evidence that Matar spent over a year researching the fatwa’s continuing validity and discussed it — along with Hezbollah’s endorsement — with individuals in Iran, Australia, and Canada before deciding to act.

“Hadi Matar, who was born and raised in the United States, chose to align his values with the terroristic values of the leaders of Iran, which often promote violence, and in this case, the call for murder,” said U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo for the Western District of New York. “The defendant spent months planning and preparing to carry out what he hoped would be the execution of Salman Rushdie and possibly follow in the footsteps of martyrs he admired. Instead, his attempted act of terror failed, and Salman Rushdie survived, thanks to courageous members of the public and law enforcement, who saved Rushdie and captured Matar.”

Matar surrounded himself with symbols of Hezbollah martyrs before the attack. He traveled to the Chautauqua Institution using the name “Hassan Mughniyeh” and carried a false driver’s license bearing the same name — combining the first name of Hassan Nasrallah with the surname of Imad Mughniyeh, the former head of Hezbollah’s External Security Organization responsible for planning multiple terrorist attacks. On the morning of the stabbing, Matar visited a Hezbollah-run website and took screenshots of Hezbollah martyrs who had died in August.

“This was not an impulsive act; Matar conducted a violent attack in support of a designated foreign terrorist organization and wanted to carry out a fatwa against the victim,” said Assistant Director Jarod Brown of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “With today’s verdict, this assailant will pay the price of engaging in terrorism. The FBI and our partners are committed to bringing terrorists and all who support them to justice.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy C. Lynch and Charles M. Kruly of the Western District of New York and Trial Attorney Jennifer Burke of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. The investigation was led by the FBI’s Buffalo Field Office under Special Agent-in-Charge Allen D. Davis II and the New York State Police under Major Amie Feroleto, with assistance from the FBI’s Newark office and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.

Matar is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 3 at 11:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara in Buffalo.