Suspect Hadi Matar Rejects Plea Deal in Salman Rushdie Stabbing Case

Hadi Matar, charged with stabbing author Salman Rushdie in 2022, rejected a plea deal that could have reduced his state prison term but added a federal terrorism charge. The plea deal would have required Matar to plead guilty to both state and federal charges, potentially extending his sentence significantly.

In a significant development in the Salman Rushdie stabbing case, suspect Hadi Matar rejected a plea deal on Tuesday that would have reduced his state prison term but exposed him to a federal terrorism-related charge, as confirmed by his lawyer, Nathaniel Barone.

Hadi Matar, 26, has been held without bail since the 2022 attack, in which he allegedly stabbed Rushdie more than a dozen times, causing severe injuries including blindness in one eye. The acclaimed writer was onstage at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York when the attack occurred.

Had Matar accepted the plea deal, he would have faced a maximum state prison sentence of 20 years for attempted murder, down from 25 years. However, the deal also required him to plead guilty to attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization, potentially adding another 20 years to his sentence.

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