(21 Feb 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
++PART MUTE AT SOURCE++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mayville, New York – 21 February 2025
1. Close of defendant Hadi Matar in court during verdict hearing ++MUTE++
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Nathaniel Barone, Hadi Matar’s public defender:
"Yeah, so, he (Hadi Matar) was disappointed. But I thought, quite frankly, that he was well prepared for the verdict regardless of what it was."
3. Barone and Matar in court during verdict hearing ++MUTE++
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Nathaniel Barone, Hadi Matar’s public defender:
"Of course we’re disappointed. We were disappointed in several of the court’s decisions during the trial. And all, all you can do in a situation like that is to, is to persevere. You have to keep moving and protect the record. And I think that’s what we did. So our plan at this point would be to prepare for sentencing."
5. Med of Matar in court during verdict hearing ++MUTE++
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Nathaniel Barone, Hadi Matar’s public defender:
"And I think, unfortunately, the notoriety of Mr. Rushdie certainly didn’t help in how this case may have been presented. And we believe that it was overcharged. We believe that the indictment was excessive. We believe that it should have been a lesser charge than the attempted murder. Obviously, the jury felt differently."
7. Wide of Jason Schmidt in briefing room ++MUTE++
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Jason Schmidt, District Attorney
"Mr. Matar came into this community, as, you know, as a visitor. And really, it’s my job to make sure that he stays a resident of New York state for the next 25 years. And that’s what I’m going to be, you know, focused on as we proceed the sentencing, recognizing that we’re going to be met with challenges. And it’s not over until we’re done with the post, the verdict challenges, until we’re done with the appeals. And we’ll just stay vigilant on all of this, because justice delayed is not justice denied. And I hope that two and a half years later, Mr. Rushdie can get some satisfaction from this. Poor Mr. Reese can get some satisfaction from this, and everybody else that was there at the institution that day that risked their lives to jump on stage."
9. Wide of Matar and lawyers in court during verdict hearing ++MUTE++
STORYLINE:
A New Jersey man was convicted Friday of attempted murder for stabbing author Salman Rushdie multiple times on a New York lecture stage in 2022.
Jurors, who deliberated for less than two hours, also found Hadi Matar, 27, guilty of assault for wounding a man who was on stage with Rushdie at the time.
Matar ran onto the stage at the Chautauqua Institution where Rushdie was about to speak on Aug. 12, 2022, and stabbed him more than a dozen times before a live audience. The attack left the 77-year-old prizewinning novelist blind in one eye.
Rushdie was the key witness during seven days of testimony, describing in graphic detail his life-threatening injuries and long and painful recovery.
Matar, sitting at the defense table, looked down but had no obvious reaction when the jury delivered the verdict. As he was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs, he quietly uttered, "Free Palestine," echoing comments he has frequently made while entering and leaving the trial.
The judge set sentencing for April 23. Matar could receive up to 25 years in prison, which District Attorney Jason Schmidt noted is the maximum for a conviction on attempted murder in the second degree.
In his comments following the verdict, Schmidt said video evidence helped make the case “rock solid.”
AP video by Mike Householder
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