Local criminal defense lawyer breaks down new indictment against Hadi Matar

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The man accused of attacking author Salman Rushdie at the Chautauqua Institution in August 2022 is now facing federal charges. The federal charges brought against him say Hadi Matar was carrying out his attack in the name of Hezbollah.

Matar is already facing attempted murder and assault charges at the state level for stabbing Rushdie more than a dozen times. Matar rejected a plea deal earlier this month where state prosecutors recommended a shorter prison sentence if he agreed to plead guilty.

Barry Covert, a local criminal defense lawyer, said choosing to reject the plea deal might’ve gained Matar a lot more time behind bars.

“He’d be looking at, possibly if he’s found guilty or takes a plea, he could be looking at life incarceration,” Covert said. “That’s on top of whatever happens on the state court charges in Chautauqua County.”

The new three-count federal indictment officially offers, for the first time, a motive for the 2022 attack. Each of the indictments is a form of supporting a terrorist organization or committing an act of terrorism. Covert said these are some of the most serious charges that can be brought in federal court.

“Because Hezbollah is a designated terrorist organization by the United States, any support that you provide to them is illegal,” Covert said. “Any act on their behalf is illegal and supporting them any way is illegal.”

One of the new three charges could put Matar behind bars for the rest of his life. As a criminal defense lawyer, Covert said they often advise their clients to accept a plea deal, especially in cases like this.

“Given that he was caught at the scene, with a weapon, and there’s a lot of witnesses, it’s hard to imagine that there are really any outstanding defenses here,” Covert said. “We will certainly see. He’s entitled to the presumption of innocence and the case must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Covert explained that while the charges on the state and federal level were both brought forth because of the events that occurred in August, both trials will look extremely different. Covert does not expect Matar to receive any sympathy.

“Watching these cases play out is going to be fascinating because they are such different charges in state and federal court,” Covert said. “It’s so important. It’s a worldwide story. The world is watching to see what happens here. It’ll be very interesting to follow this.”

Jury selection in the state case is set for Oct. 15 and is expected to proceed as normal.

For the federal case, Covert said he expects Matar’s defense team to file motions for the judge to rule on and eventually, a federal trial date will be set.

Trina Catterson joined the News 4 team in 2024. She previously worked at WETM-TV in Elmira, a sister station of WIVB. See more of her work here .