Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Rushdie attacker charged with terrorism linked to Hezbollah

The grand-jury indictment charges Hadi Matar with three terror charges, including carrying out an act of terrorism and providing material support to Hezbollah.

Rushdie attacker charged with terrorism linked to Hezbollah

THE man accused of trying to kill the author Salman Rushdie has been charged with terrorism for allegedly acting on behalf of Hezbollah, according to documents unsealed Wednesday (24).

This is the first time the US has so clearly singled out Lebanon's powerful Iranian-backed movement over the attack on Rushdie.


Hadi Matar, a 26-year-old American of Lebanese descent, was already charged by the state of New York for the 2022 stabbing attack.

He has now been indicted by a grand jury on three counts that include attempting to provide material to support a foreign terrorist organization, according to the indictment dated July 17 but not unsealed until now.

In August 2022 Rushdie, now 77, lost his sight in his right eye after the attack by a knife-wielding assailant who jumped on stage at an arts gathering in New York state. Rushdie was stabbed about 10 times.

The Indian-born author, a naturalised American based in New York, had faced death threats since his 1988 novel The Satanic Verses was declared blasphemous by Iran's supreme leader.

In 1989, that leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa, or religious edict, calling on Muslims anywhere in the world to kill Rushdie.

Hezbollah endorsed the fatwa, the FBI said in a statement Wednesday.

"We allege that in attempting to murder Salman Rushdie in New York in 2022, Hadi Matar committed an act of terrorism in the name of Hezbollah, a designated terrorist organization aligned with the Iranian regime," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a separate statement.

Between September 2020 and the summer of the attack, Matar sought to provide material support to Hezbollah by trying to carry out the fatwa against Rushdie, the Justice Department said.

The other two counts in the indictment charge Matar with engaging in an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries and providing material support to terrorists.

"The defendant attempted to carry out a fatwa endorsed by Hezbollah that called for the death of Salman Rushdie," said FBI director Christopher Wray.

Hezbollah is classified as a terrorist organization by countries including the US, those of the European Union, Britain and most members of the Arab League.

Since the war in Gaza broke out in October, Hezbollah has traded almost daily fire with Israel from southern Lebanon, prompting fears of a broader regional conflict.

Matar is awaiting trial at the state level in New York on charges including attempted murder and assault. He has pleaded not guilty, and could face a sentence of up to 25 years if convicted.

US media reports say the trial could start on October 15.

Matar has told the New York Post newspaper that he had only read two pages of Rushdie's novel but believed he had "attacked Islam."

The award-winning author was stabbed in the neck and abdomen at the New York literary conference before attendees and guards subdued the assailant.

Rushdie had lived in seclusion in London for the first decade after the fatwa was issued, but for the past 20 years he lived a relatively normal life in New York.

This year, Rushdie published a memoir called Knife in which he recounted the near death experience.

In an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes programme in April, Rushdie told how one of the surgeons who saved his life had said: "First you were really unlucky and then you were really lucky."

"I said, 'What's the lucky part?' and he said, 'Well, the lucky part is that the man who attacked you had no idea how to kill a man with a knife,'" Rushdie said.

(AFP)

More For You

Tulip Siddiq

Siddiq is accused of helping her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, secure a deal with Russia for the Rooppur power plant in 2013. (Photo credit: tulipsiddiq.com)

Tulip Siddiq questioned over fraud allegations

TULIP SIDDIQ, the economic secretary to the Treasury, has been questioned by the Cabinet Office's propriety and ethics team (PET) regarding allegations of involvement in a £3.9 billion embezzlement linked to a nuclear energy project in Bangladesh.

Siddiq is accused of helping her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, the recently ousted former prime minister of Bangladesh, secure a deal with Russia for the Rooppur power plant in 2013, reported The Times.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sheikh-Hasina-Getty

The probe targets Hasina, the ousted prime minister who fled to India in August, along with her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and niece Tulip Siddiq. (Photo: Getty Images)

Bangladesh probes Sheikh Hasina, family over £3.97 bn graft allegations

BANGLADESH has initiated a corruption investigation into allegations of a £3.97 billion embezzlement linked to the Russian-funded Rooppur nuclear power plant.

The probe targets Sheikh Hasina, the ousted prime minister who fled to India in August, along with her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and niece Tulip Siddiq, a British MP and government minister, the country’s anti-corruption commission announced on Monday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bird-flu-Getty

A regional avian influenza prevention zone has also been enforced across eastern England, including areas in Lincolnshire and Suffolk. (Representational image: Getty Images)

Several bird flu cases reported across England, prompting restrictions

PREVENTATIVE measures have been enforced at bird farms along England’s eastern coast following the detection of multiple bird flu cases.

The outbreak has prompted new restrictions starting Monday, aimed at curbing the spread of the virus.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dan-Jarvis

Jarvis, in a letter to the Sikh Federation dated 10 December, reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to protecting its citizens. (Photo: X/@DanJarvisMBE)

Minister warns against harassment of British Sikhs by foreign powers

SECURITY minister Dan Jarvis has said that the UK will not tolerate attempts by foreign powers to harass or intimidate its citizens.

His statement follows reports from British Sikhs alleging harassment by or on behalf of the Indian government, according to The Guardian.

Keep ReadingShow less
up-police

The militants were killed in a gunfight in Pilibhit district, located in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. (Photo: X/@Uppolice)

Indian police kill three Sikh separatist militants

INDIAN police announced on Monday that they had killed three Sikh militants associated with the struggle for a separate homeland known as "Khalistan." The movement has a history of deadly violence in the 1980s and 1990s.

The push for Khalistan was at the centre of international tensions last year after allegations linked Indian intelligence operatives to the killing of a prominent Sikh leader in Canada and an attempted assassination in the United States. New Delhi dismissed these claims.

Keep ReadingShow less