Federal Trial Aims to Link Rushdie Stabbing to Iran and Hezbollah

Hadi Matar's federal terrorism trial opened July 22, 2026, in Buffalo. Prosecutors aim to connect his 2022 stabbing of Salman Rushdie to Hezbollah and Iran's 1989 fatwa — a religious edict demanding Rushdie's death — using journal entries, an Iran-based contact, and propaganda videos. Matar was already convicted of attempted murder in state court. A federal conviction could mean life imprisonment. Iran denies involvement.