U.S. court upholds conviction of Hadi Matar for attempted murder of Salman Rushdie, citing Hezbollah direction

In the United States, a federal court upheld the conviction of Hadi Matar for attempting to provide material support to Hezbollah, a designated terrorist organization, in connection with the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie. The court ruled that Matar acted under Hezbollah's direction by attempting to fulfill a fatwa issued by Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini and later endorsed by Hezbollah's leader. The decision rejected Matar's argument that the government failed to prove a direct link, stating that the law does not require such proof. The ruling clarifies that individuals acting on ideological directives from terrorist organizations can be prosecuted under material support laws.