Trial Tests Whether Rushdie Stabbing Was Part of a Foreign Plot

Hadi Matar's federal trial began July 22, 2026, in Buffalo. Prosecutors want to show his 2022 stabbing of writer Salman Rushdie was ordered from abroad — tied to Iran's 1989 fatwa, a religious death decree, and the group Hezbollah. Evidence includes journal entries, an Iran-based contact, and propaganda videos. Matar was already convicted in state court. A federal guilty verdict could mean life in prison. Iran denies involvement.