Accused in Salman Rushdie Attack Refuses to Testify in Federal Terrorism Trial

During Tuesday’s federal terrorism proceedings, the individual accused of stabbing Salman Rushdie declined to provide testimony or present any witnesses. The trial is expected to proceed to jury deliberations as early as Wednesday.

Counsel for Hadi Matar informed the court that the 28-year-old—who has already been convicted of state-level attempted murder—will not testify in the federal case, which includes charges of transnational terrorism.

“At this time, the defence rests,” stated attorney Nathaniel Barone. Matar has maintained a plea of not guilty.

Following the conclusion of the prosecution’s case on Tuesday, closing arguments are scheduled for Wednesday morning. Last week, Rushdie—the acclaimed author of Midnight’s Children and the highly controversial The Satanic Verses—testified regarding the 2022 assault that resulted in near-fatal injuries and partial blindness.

The incident occurred at the Chautauqua Institution, an intellectual and arts retreat, while Rushdie was delivering a lecture regarding the safety of writers. The assailant breached the stage and stabbed the author 15 times in front of an astonished audience.

Witnesses and fellow speaker Henry Reese attempted to assist Rushdie and subdue the attacker until officers stationed at the event could make an arrest. While the suspect initially presented a fraudulent driver’s license, Matar subsequently provided his true identity to a state trooper, according to testimony and body camera footage.

The prosecution argues that Matar’s actions were motivated by a 1989 decree by a former Iranian leader calling for Rushdie’s death following the publication of The Satanic Verses. The novel’s depiction of a dream sequence involving Prophet Mohammed sparked widespread global protests due to religious concerns regarding blasphemy.

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