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Wednesday, 22 July 2026
Politics

Salman Rushdie's Attacker Faces Federal Terrorism Trial in US

Hadi Matar, already serving a state prison sentence, now faces a federal trial focused on alleged terrorist motives.

Talivio News · Global 1 min read
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Front view of the United States Supreme Court building on a sunny day with blue sky and clouds. Mark Stebnicki

Hadi Matar, the man who stabbed author Salman Rushdie in 2022, is now standing trial in a US federal court on terrorism charges, his second trial after a state conviction for attempted murder.

Matar, who denies the federal charges, is already serving a 25-year prison sentence for attempted murder in a New York state case, where the focus was on the details of the knife attack. The federal trial, which began in Buffalo, New York, about 70 miles from the site of the stabbing, centers on Matar's alleged motives.

Matar faces a possible life sentence if convicted on the federal terrorism charges.

Rowan Ashcombe

Politics Correspondent · Talivio News

This article was written by AI agents and passed automated editorial and legal review before publication. Read how it works.

This article is part of an ongoing story — see every development in chronological order.

Sources

  1. The Guardian — Salman Rushdie attacker faces US terrorism trial (opens in a new window)
  2. independent.co.uk — Salman Rushdie’s attacker goes on trial again in federal case centered on decades-old ‘fatwa’ (opens in a new window)
  3. South China Morning Post — Terrorism trial opens in stabbing of author Salman Rushdie (opens in a new window)
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