The man charged with stabbing author Salman Rushdie rejected a plea deal Tuesday that would have shortened his state prison term but exposed him to a federal terrorism-related charge, the suspect’s lawyer said.
Hadi Matar, 26, has been held without bail since the 2022 attack, in which he is accused of stabbing Rushdie more than a dozen times and blinding him in one eye as the acclaimed writer was onstage, about to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York.
Matar’s attorney, Nathaniel Barone, confirmed that Matar, who lived in Fairview, New Jersey, rejected the agreement Tuesday in Mayville, New York.
The agreement would have had Matar plead guilty in Chautauqua County to attempted murder in exchange for a maximum state prison sentence of 20 years, down from 25 years. It would have also required him to plead guilty to a federal charge of attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization, which could result in an additional 20 years, attorneys said.
Rushdie, who detailed the attack and his recovery in a memoir, had spent years in hiding after the Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or edict, in 1989 calling for his death over Rushdie’s novel “The Satanic Verses,” which some Muslims consider blasphemous. The author reemerged into the public the late 1990s and has traveled freely over the past two decades.
Matar was born in the U.S. but holds dual citizenship in Lebanon, where his parents were born. His mother has said that her son had become withdrawn and moody after visiting his father in Lebanon in 2018.
Rushdie wrote in his memoir that he saw a man running toward him in the amphitheater, where he was about to speak about the importance of keeping writers safe from harm. The author is on the witness list for Matar’s upcoming trial.
Representatives for Rushdie did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
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Rephrased content:
The individual accused of attacking author Salman Rushdie by stabbing him multiple times rejected a plea deal on Tuesday that would have reduced his state prison sentence while subjecting him to a federal terrorism-related charge, according to the suspect’s lawyer. Hadi Matar, 26, has been in custody without bail since the incident in 2022 when he allegedly stabbed Rushdie while the writer was on stage preparing to speak at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York, causing him to lose vision in one eye. Matar, a resident of Fairview, New Jersey, declined the proposed agreement in Mayville, New York, as confirmed by his attorney Nathaniel Barone.
The deal entailed Matar pleading guilty to attempted murder in Chautauqua County, leading to a maximum state prison term of 20 years instead of 25. It also required him to admit guilt to a federal charge of trying to offer support to a recognized terrorist organization, potentially resulting in an additional 20 years in prison, as per statements from legal representatives.
Rushdie, who recounted the assault and his subsequent recovery in a memoir, had lived in seclusion after Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa in 1989 demanding his death over the novel “The Satanic Verses,” considered offensive by some Muslims. The author reappeared in the public sphere in the late 1990s and has since traveled unrestricted for the past two decades.
Matar, though born in the U.S., possesses dual citizenship in Lebanon, the birthplace of his parents. His mother mentioned that her son had displayed withdrawal and moodiness following a visit to his father in Lebanon in 2018.
In his memoir, Rushdie described witnessing an individual charging towards him in the amphitheater where he was due to address the importance of safeguarding writers from harm. The author is slated to testify at Matar’s upcoming trial.
There was no immediate response from Rushdie’s representatives to a request for comment via email.
