Salman Rushdie stabbed: Man accused of stabbing author rejects plea deal on federal terrorism charge

CNN
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The man accused of stabbing author Salman Rushdie, leaving him blind in one eye, rejected a plea deal Tuesday that would have been tied to a federal terrorism charge but would have reduced his state prison sentence, according to the suspect's lawyer.

The 75-year-old celebrated author, who has lived under threat for decades because of his writing, was stabbed multiple times on stage as he prepared to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York on August 12, 2022. The suspect, Hadi Matar, has pleaded not guilty to state charges of attempted second-degree murder and second-degree assault.

Under the terms of the proposed plea agreement, Matar would have received a 20-year sentence on the state's most serious charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years, according to the Chautauqua County District Attorney's Office.

The proposed deal was reached with the understanding that Matar would also plead guilty to a federal charge, for which he could face additional prison time, said his attorney, Nathaniel Barone. That charge alleges that Matar attempted to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, Barone said.

According to the prosecutor's office, Matar's total prison sentence under the deal would likely have been between 30 and 40 years, with lifetime supervision after his release.

“At this point, we need to shift gears a little bit and start focusing on trial preparation,” Barone told CNN. “We’re going to need the next few months before jury selection to properly and adequately prepare.”

Matar's trial is scheduled to begin on September 9, according to his lawyer and the prosecutor's office. The trial was originally scheduled for January 8 of this year, but the court granted a request for a postponement earlier this month, his lawyer told CNN.

Barone said Rushdie’s then-forthcoming memoir about the 2022 attack and his recovery, titled “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder,” was not the reason for the trial delay. But he added: “Under New York State Criminal Procedure Law, the defense is entitled to all information associated with the writing and publication of the book.”

Rushdie and another man injured in the attack, Henry Reese, are both expected to testify at the upcoming trial, the prosecutor's office previously told CNN.

In a phone call with CNN last month, Barone expressed concern about the ability to assemble an impartial jury.

“The scene of the incident is literally only five minutes away, it's just down the road,” he said, adding that he planned to request a change of venue for the trial.

Barone said federal authorities have also conducted a “global investigation” into Matar, who is now 26, but there have been no federal indictments yet.

Rushdie, one of the world's most famous writers, received death threats after his 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses” angered many Muslims, who considered it sacrilegious. Iran's former leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, called for his death, and Rushdie spent a decade under British protection.

In the August 2022 attack, the perpetrator suffered three stab wounds to the neck, four to the stomach, puncture wounds to the right eye and chest, and a cut to the right thigh, Chautauqua County Prosecutor Jason Schmidt said. Rushdie lost his vision, and the attack also affected the use of one of his hands.

Barone had previously said that Matar “maintains his innocence in this matter.”

“The one thing I've emphasized throughout this case is that everyone has a right to their due process in court, and there's the presumption of innocence which is the most important constitutional right that we have, any and all of us,” Barone told CNN.

CNN's Michelle Watson contributed to this report.