Hadi Matar declines to testify in federal trial linked to Salman Rushdie attack

Herz — World Desk · 28 July 2026 at 20:08 · 30s summary · 2 min read

What we know

Hadi Matar, 28, declined to testify on July 28, 2026, in his US federal terrorism trial, according to ZEIT.

His attorney, Nathaniel Barone, announced that the defense would call no witnesses. The defense had provisionally rested its case.

The defense asked for the case to be dismissed, arguing that prosecutors had presented insufficient evidence. The court rejected the request.

Prosecutors had also finished presenting their evidence. Closing arguments were expected Wednesday.

The federal charges

Prosecutors allege that Matar stabbed Salman Rushdie during an event in 2022.

They say he sought to carry out a longstanding fatwa—an Islamic legal opinion—that called for the writer to be killed over his novel “The Satanic Verses.”

Prosecutors also allege that Matar acted out of loyalty to Iran and Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shiite Islamist political party and paramilitary group.

Matar faces life imprisonment in the US federal terrorism trial.

Consequences of the attack

Rushdie lost sight in one eye after the attack. He also suffered liver damage and nerve injuries to one arm.

In 2025, a New York state court sentenced Matar to 25 years in prison for attempted murder.

Timeline

1. 1989
   Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini calls for Salman Rushdie's death and issues the fatwa, describing “The Satanic Verses” as blasphemous.
2. 1998
   The Iranian government distances itself from Khomeini's call. Rushdie subsequently resumes public appearances.
3. Matar stabs Rushdie during an event, according to prosecutors.