World News | Man Accused of Stabbing Salman Rushdie Declines to Take the Stand as Defense Rests
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. The New Jersey man on trial in the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie declined to testify in his defense as his lawyers rested their case without calling any witnesses.
Mayville (NY), Feb 21 (AP) The New Jersey man on trial in the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie declined to testify in his defense as his lawyers rested their case without calling any witnesses.
"No, I do not," Hadi Matar, 27, said on Thursday when asked by Chautauqua County Judge David Foley whether he wished to take the stand.
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Earlier Thursday, prosecutors called a forensics expert as their final witness, wrapping up seven days of witness testimony, most notably from Rushdie himself.
The lawyers are scheduled to deliver closing arguments Friday, followed by jury deliberations.
Matar is on trial in Chautauqua County Court in western New York on charges of attempted murder and assault for the attack at the nearby Chautauqua Institution that left Rushdie, 77, blind in one eye and with other serious injuries.
Throughout the trial, Matar, who is from Fairview, New Jersey, was often seen taking notes and speaking with his attorneys. On several occasions while being brought in or out of the courtroom, he declared, "Free Palestine" to news cameras. But defense attorneys had declined to say whether he intended to testify.
Matar also faces trial in US District Court in Buffalo on a separate federal indictment charging him with attempting to provide material support to the militant group Hezbollah. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)