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Defendant in Salman Rushdie stabbing declines to testify in terrorism trial
Prosecutors say Hadi Matar acted on ideological motives and private notes as the federal terrorism case moves toward jury deliberations.
- On Tuesday, Hadi Matar declined to testify in his federal terrorism trial, calling no witnesses as the case heads to the jury Wednesday morning for closing arguments.
- Prosecutors contend that Matar acted upon the 1989 death call by the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini targeting Salman Rushdie over "The Satanic Verses." Matar researched Rushdie's whereabouts starting in 2020, writing notes to "kill him ASAP."
- At the Chautauqua Institution in 2022, the assailant climbed on stage and stabbed Rushdie 15 times, leaving the author blind in one eye. Matar is currently serving a 25-year sentence for state-level attempted murder.
- Defense attorney Nathaniel Barone unsuccessfully argued Tuesday that prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence to proceed. A judge denied his motion to dismiss, allowing the federal terrorism charges to advance to jury deliberation.
- If convicted in this federal case, the American-Lebanese citizen faces a potential life sentence on transnational terrorism charges. Prosecutors allege Matar acted with loyalty to Lebanon-based Hezbollah, distinguishing this trial from his prior state conviction.
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34 Articles
34 Articles
Winnipeg Free PressReposted by 
WPLG
WPLGMan convicted in terrorism trial over the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie
A man was convicted Wednesday of federal terrorism charges in the 2022 stabbing of Salman Rushdie, the author who has faced a decades-old death threat over his novel “The Satanic Verses.”
·Winnipeg, Canada
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Three years after the assassination of the writer Salman Rushdie, the terror trial is over. The 28-year-old defendant is silent. He is threatened with life imprisonment.
·Germany
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LancasterOnline+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
BUFFALO, New York, USA (AP) — The man who is being tried for Salman Rushdie's stabbing chose not to testify or call any witnesses on Tuesday in the federal terrorism case, which is expected to reach the...
·Lancaster, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources34
Leaning Left14Leaning Right5Center14Last UpdatedBias Distribution43% Left, 42% Center
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources lean Left, 42% of the sources are Center
43% Left
L 43%
C 42%
15%
Factuality
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