Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Already convicted on state charges, Hadi Matar is now facing federal terrorism-related charges in connection with his knife attack on novelist Salman Rushdie.
The trial began on July 22 in Downtown Buffalo's Robert H. Jackson Federal Courthouse before U.S. Judge Richard Arcara.
Matar, 28, is accused of stabbing Rushdie 15 times in his Aug. 12, 2022 attack just as the novelist was to speak at the Chautauqua Institution..
Matar is facing three federal charges - all connected to terrorism.
Rushdie, 79, is expected to testify at the trial and will remain in Buffalo during the course of the trial.
Last year, Matar was tried and convicted in Chautauqua County court on second degree attempted murder and assault charges and is now serving a 25-year sentence.
"This is not a case of double jeopardy," said Terry Connors, noted Buffalo defense attorney. "The charges don't appear to overlap."
The state charges were more focused on the attack.
The federal charges focus more on Matar's motives and how he was inspired to attack Rushdie.
Federal prosecutors allege that Mattar was motivated by a 1989 fatwa issued by the late Ayatollah Rubollah Khomeni, who was critical of Rushdie's 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses."
The Ayatollah issued a death warrant on Rushdie, prompting the novelist to go into hiding for several years.
"The facts in the case are pretty clear," Connors said. "It will be up to the defense to see how they attack the facts."
Matar's case is one of several high profile cases that have either been heard, or will soon go to trial, in the Jackson courthouse.
Coming up this October: The death penalty phase against Tops' mass shooter Payton Gendron.
The Matar case, because it involves Rushdie and federal terrorism charges, is attracting both national and international attention.
"It still comes down to the facts," Connors said.
If convicted on the three federal terrorism charges, Matar could face life in prison with no parole options,'
A federal trial begins Wednesday at the Robert H. Jackson courthouse
A federal trial begins Wednesday at the Robert H. Jackson courthouse
