In Mayville, New York, a New Jersey man facing trial for the 2022 stabbing of renowned author Salman Rushdie chose not to testify in his defense on Thursday, prompting his legal team to rest their case without presenting any witnesses. When asked by Chautauqua County Judge David Foley if he wished to take the stand, 27-year-old Hadi Matar simply replied, “No, I do not.”
Earlier that day, prosecutors concluded their case by calling a forensics expert as their final witness, following seven days of testimony, including a significant appearance by Rushdie himself. Closing arguments are scheduled to be delivered on Friday, after which the jury will begin deliberations.
Matar is currently on trial in Chautauqua County Court on charges of attempted murder and assault stemming from the attack at the nearby Chautauqua Institution that left Rushdie, aged 77, blinded in one eye and with other serious injuries. Henry Reese, the founder of City of Asylum who was accompanying Rushdie, also sustained a gash above his eye during the incident.
Throughout the trial proceedings, Matar, hailing from Fairview, New Jersey, was observed taking notes and conferring with his legal representatives. While being escorted to and from the courtroom on multiple occasions, he vocally expressed, “Free Palestine,” to the press cameras. However, his defense team had not disclosed whether he intended to testify.
Despite opting not to call witnesses of their own, Matar’s attorneys sought to challenge the prosecution’s witnesses as part of a strategy aimed at raising doubts about Matar’s alleged intent to kill Rushdie rather than merely causing harm. This distinction holds significance in a potential attempted murder conviction.
According to Matar’s legal team, the fact that he was armed with a knife rather than a firearm and the survivability of Rushdie’s injuries, which witnesses described as a “skirmish” or a “scuffle,” indicate a lack of intent to commit murder. Public Defender Nathaniel Barone emphasized the absence of evidence proving Matar’s intent to kill and suggested that, were it not for Rushdie’s high-profile status, the charges might have been reduced to assault.
The attack on Rushdie, during which he was stabbed and slashed multiple times in various parts of his body, occurred without provocation as he was preparing to participate in a discussion concerning the safety of writers. Rushdie spent over two weeks in a Pennsylvania hospital followed by another three weeks in a rehabilitation center in New York City to recover from his injuries.
Apart from the ongoing trial in Chautauqua County Court, Matar also faces a separate federal indictment in U.S. District Court in Buffalo, accusing him of attempting to provide material support to the militant group Hezbollah.
