Jump to contentIndependentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleJennifer PeltzWednesday 29 July 2026 22:52 BST‘Nobody teaches it’: Salman Rushdie says big topic ignored in schoolsHadi Matar was convicted of federal terrorism charges for the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie, who has lived under a decades-old death threat.A jury found Matar guilty of all charges, including engaging in an act of transnational terrorism, which carries a potential life sentence in addition to his existing 25-year state prison sentence for attempted murder.Prosecutors successfully argued that Matar was motivated by the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s 1989 call for Rushdie’s death due to his novel "The Satanic Verses."Evidence presented showed Matar repeatedly discussed the fatwa in messaging apps and displayed support for Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.Rushdie was gravely wounded in the August 2022 assault, suffering 15 stab wounds and ultimately losing sight in his right eye, an event he later chronicled in a memoir.In fullAuthor Salman Rushdie’s attacker convicted in terrorism trial over the 2022 stabbingMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in