The U.S. Department of Justice has announced terrorism charges against the American-Lebanese individual Hadi Matar for allegedly acting on behalf of Hezbollah, after he attempted to kill the American-British writer Salman Rushdie in New York State in August 2022.

According to a statement from the Department of Justice, "Hadi Matar committed a terrorist act on behalf of Hezbollah, an organization linked to the Iranian regime."

Hadi Matar, 26 years old, is currently facing trial in a local court in New York State, and he is also federally pursued on three charges, including "support for a foreign terrorist organization," as per a judicial document issued on July 17 by the Federal Court for Western New York.

On August 12, 2022, Rushdie was stabbed approximately ten times in the neck, face, and abdomen by Matar during the start of a literary seminar in Western New York before the attacker was subdued.

After an extended period of treatment, the 77-year-old man lost sight in one of his eyes.

Salman Rushdie, a renowned writer residing in New York City for over 20 years, is of British-Indian descent and holds American citizenship.

He has faced death threats since the publication of his novel "The Satanic Verses" in 1988, and in 1989, the former Iranian leader Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for his assassination.

أميركي من أصول لبنانية يُحاكم بتهمة "الإرهاب باسم حزب الله"