A young Lebanese American charged with attempting to murder British-American author Salman Rushdie in 2022 has now also been indicted for terrorism on behalf of Hezbollah, according to the US Department of Justice.
The Department said in a statement on Wednesday that, in attempting to kill Rushdie, Hadi Matar committed an act of terrorism on behalf of Hezbollah, a terror organisation linked to the Iranian regime.
Matar, 26, was already on trial and in custody for nearly two years on the orders of a local court in New York. He now faces federal charges, including supporting a foreign terrorist organisation, according to a court document dated 17 July and made public by the Western New York federal court on Wednesday.
During a literary conference in Western New York on 12 August 2022, Rushdie was stabbed multiple times in the neck, face and stomach by Matar, who was then restrained.
After a lengthy recovery, Rushdie, 77, lost sight in one eye.
