Hadi Matar was convicted of federal terrorism charges for the 2022 stabbing attack against author Salman Rushdie during a speaking event in New York.

A jury found Matar guilty of engaging in an act of transnational terrorism, adding to his existing 25-year state prison sentence for attempted murder.

Prosecutors argued that Matar was motivated by a decades-old Iranian death threat against Rushdie over his novel “The Satanic Verses,” while his defense said there was no proof of his intentions.

Rushdie testified that he suffered severe injuries, including the loss of sight in one eye, after being stabbed 15 times but survived the attack, CBS News has reported.

Matar now faces the possibility of a life sentence for the federal conviction, while Iran has denied involvement in the attack.