Hadi Matar, 28, has opted not to present a defense in his federal trial regarding the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie. Matar’s attorney, Nathaniel Barone, informed the court on Tuesday that the defense would rest its case without calling any witnesses or having Matar take the stand. This decision marks the conclusion of the evidentiary portion of the trial, with closing arguments and jury deliberations anticipated to begin as soon as Wednesday.

Matar is currently facing federal charges, including engaging in an act of transnational terrorism. This federal proceeding follows his earlier conviction in a state-level trial, where he was found guilty of attempted murder and assault for the attack on Rushdie at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. The federal charges stem from allegations that Matar traveled to the event with the intent to carry out a violent act in support of a foreign terrorist organization. While the state trial focused on the physical act of the stabbing, the federal trial centers on the motivation and potential coordination behind the attack. The defense's decision to rest without testimony suggests a reliance on the prosecution's burden of proof rather than an attempt to provide an alternative narrative through witness testimony.