Rushdie ‘attacker’ faces terror charges in New York

Mayville, May 11

The lawyer for the New Jersey man charged with stabbing author Salman Rushdie is in talks with county and federal prosecutors to try to resolve existing charges of attempted murder without a trial – as well as potential terrorism-related charges that could still be coming, he said Friday.

Hadi Matar, 26, has been held without bail since his 2022 arrest, immediately after allegedly attacking the Mumbai-born writer in front of a stunned audience he was about to address at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York. Rushdie was blinded in one eye, and moderator Henry Reese also was wounded.

Matar pleaded not guilty to assault and attempted murder after being indicted by a Chautauqua County grand jury shortly after the attack. The US Justice Department continues to consider separate federal charges against Matar, though none have yet been filed, according to a public defender. — AP