NEW DELHI: A US man already serving a 25-year prison sentence for attempting to murder Indian-British author Salman Rushdie has been convicted on additional federal charges, including providing material support to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, the BBC reported.
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A federal jury in New York on Wednesday found Hadi Matar guilty of engaging in an act of transnational terrorism and providing material support to Hezbollah, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the US, UK and several other countries.
Prosecutors argued that Matar was driven by the 1989 fatwa issued by Iran's then-supreme leader calling for Rushdie's death, as well as a 2006 speech by a former Hezbollah leader urging that the fatwa be carried out.
Rushdie testified during the trial, recounting how he was stabbed 15 times during the 2022 attack that left him partially blind in one eye. He credited a firefighter with helping save his life.
Matar's lawyers argued the attack was not an act of terrorism, but the jury convicted him on both federal charges.
He is already serving a 25-year sentence after being convicted of attempted murder in a New York state court and now faces the possibility of life imprisonment, the BBC reported.
