Federal jury convicts Rushdie attacker of supporting terrorist organization

A US jury has convicted Hadi Matar of terrorism charges for his 2022 knife attack on author Salman Rushdie. Matar, 28, stabbed Rushdie several times at a literary event in New York state. The jury found him guilty of trying to support Hezbollah, a group the US has designated as a terrorist organisation, and of carrying out a cross-border act of terrorism. Deliberations lasted about two hours. Prosecutors argued that Matar acted on a 1989 order from Iran's government calling for Rushdie's death. Rushdie wrote the novel "The Satanic Verses," which angered Iranian leaders. Matar is already in prison for 25 years after a state court convicted him for the same attack. The federal charges could add a life sentence, and his sentencing is set for November.