Hadi Matar has declined to testify or call witnesses in his federal terrorism trial in Buffalo,New York. With the prosecution resting its case on Tuesday, the proceedings are set for closing arguments on Wednesday morning.
Hadi Matar's Silence in the Buffalo Federal Court
The decision by Hadi Matar to remain silent during his trial marks a critical turning point in the legal proceedings regarding the attack on author Salman Rushdie. According to the report, Matar chose on Tuesday not to present a defense through testimony or witness accounts, effectively leaving the jury to decide based on the evidence provided by the government. The case is expected to move to the jury as early as Wednesday.
This silence follows the testimony of Salman Rushdie, who appeared in the Buffalo court on Thursday, July 23, 2026. Rushdie, the author of The Satanic Verses and Midnight's Children, provided a first-hand account of the violence he endured, adding a human element to the prosecution's terrorism charges against Matar.
The 'Kill Him ASAP' Notes and the 2020 Research
Central to the government's case are private documents and digital footprints left by Hadi Matar . assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Lynch revealed during legal arguments that Matar began researching the location and movements of Salman Rushdie in 2020. The prosecution highlighted specific notes written by Matar, which included the chilling directives that "we need to kill him ASAP" and a desire to "become a warrior and just get it over with ."
Furthermore, the prosecution pointed to a 2016 paper written by Hadi Matar in which he explicitly described the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group as a terrorist organization. This detail is intended to show that Matar was fully aware of the nature of the group he allegedly felt loyalty toward, contradicting any potential claim of ignorance regarding the group's violent objectives.
The 1989 Fatwa and Hezbollah's Influence on Matar
The attack on Salman Rushdie is not an isolated incident of violence but the culmination of a decades-long campagin of intimidation. Prosecutors contend that Hadi Matar was motivated by a 1989 fatwa issued by a former Iranian leader, which called for the death of Salman Rushdie due to the perceived blasphemy in The Satanic Verses. This novel's depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in a dream sequence sparked global protests and forced Rushdie into hiding for years.
As reported, the prosecution links Matar's actions to a broader network of loyalty involving Iran and Hezbollah. The report notes that a late Hezbollah leader stated in 2006 that the execution of the fatwa would have deterred European newspapers from publishing caricatures of Muhammad. By framing the attack within this geopolitical context, the U.S. government—which designates Hezbollah as a foreign terrorist organization—is arguing that Matar acted as an instrument of a larger extremist agenda.
Attorney Barone's Claim of Missing Hard Evidence
Despite the prosecution's narrative, the defense maintains that the government's case is built on inference rather than proof. Defense attorney Barone has argued that federal prosecutors are making implications about the intentions of Hadi Matar without providing "hard evidence." In an interview outside the courthouse, Barone asserted that there are "no facts" to support the prosecution's claims regarding Matar's specific motives.
This creates a significant point of contention for the jury: whether private notes and research constitute "hard evidence" of a conspiracy or merely the internal musings of an individual. While a judge has already declined Barone's request to dismiss the case, the defense's strategy relies on the gap between Matar's written words and a proven, coordinated directive from a foreign power. It remains unclear if the prosecution possesses direct communication between Matar and Hezbollah officials, a detail that could pivot the verdict.
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