Hezbollah supporter convicted in another Islamic terrorism case in New York
An Islamic man living in New Jersey, Hadi Matar, was convicted of attempting to provide material support to Hezbollah, a Lebanese Islamic Shi’a militia. The U.S. designated it as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997.
Matar was also charged with engaging in an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, and providing material support to terrorists, stemming from his attempted murder of Indian born British-American novelist, Salman Rushdie.
Rushdie is known for his novel The Satanic Verses, referring to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and Islamic Qur’an, prompting the Indian government to ban it in 1988. In 1989, Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa and bounty for Rushdie’s murder, referring to the book as illegally blasphemous. In 2006, Hezbollah’s Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah, endorsed the fatwa. In 2017, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei also issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death.
On Aug. 12, 2022, Matar responded to the fatwa when attempting to murder Rushdie at a speaking engagement at the Chautauqua Institution in Mayville, New York, authorities alleged. Prior to the attack, Matar discussed the fatwa and Hezbollah’s endorsement of i, with individuals living in Iran, Australia, and Canada. He also created videos about the fatwa (“Rushdie_Fatwa 2.0” and “Rushdie_Fatwa 1.6”), which include a 2006 speech in which Nasrallah endorsed the fatwa, according to court documents.
Matar traveled to New York under the name “Hassan Mughniyeh” with a driver’s license of the same false name, authorities said. Hassan represents Hassan Nasrallah and Mughniyeh represents Imad Mughniyeh, the former head of Hezbollah’s External Security Organization who was responsible for planning multiple terrorist attacks, according to the court documents.
Matar was also charged with engaging in an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, and providing material support to terrorists, stemming from his attempted murder of Indian born British-American novelist, Salman Rushdie.
Rushdie is known for his novel The Satanic Verses, referring to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and Islamic Qur’an, prompting the Indian government to ban it in 1988. In 1989, Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa and bounty for Rushdie’s murder, referring to the book as illegally blasphemous. In 2006, Hezbollah’s Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah, endorsed the fatwa. In 2017, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei also issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death.
On Aug. 12, 2022, Matar responded to the fatwa when attempting to murder Rushdie at a speaking engagement at the Chautauqua Institution in Mayville, New York, authorities alleged. Prior to the attack, Matar discussed the fatwa and Hezbollah’s endorsement of i, with individuals living in Iran, Australia, and Canada. He also created videos about the fatwa (“Rushdie_Fatwa 2.0” and “Rushdie_Fatwa 1.6”), which include a 2006 speech in which Nasrallah endorsed the fatwa, according to court documents.
Matar traveled to New York under the name “Hassan Mughniyeh” with a driver’s license of the same false name, authorities said. Hassan represents Hassan Nasrallah and Mughniyeh represents Imad Mughniyeh, the former head of Hezbollah’s External Security Organization who was responsible for planning multiple terrorist attacks, according to the court documents.
70-79, M
