WorldHadi Matar faces possible life sentence as trial details 2022 attack linked to fatwa and Hezbollah allegationsFile photo: Hadi Matar appears in court on charges of attempted murder and assault on author Salman Rushdie, in Mayville, New York, U.S., August 18, 2022. Hadi Matar, 28, already serving a 25-year prison term on state charges of attempted murder for the knife assault, now faces a maximum penalty of life behind bars when he is sentenced ⁠on his federal conviction, scheduled for November 3. At ‌the time of the attack, Rushdie had faced threats on his life since the ‌1988 publication of his fourth novel, "The Satanic Verses." U.S.-born Matar, who also has Lebanese citizenship, lived in Fairview, New Jersey, and was found guilty of attempted ‌murder in a New York state court in February 2025. A memoir detailing his stabbing, recovery and emotional healing process, "Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder," was published in April 2024.