The man on trial in the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie has declined to give evidence in his defence as his lawyers rested their case without calling any witnesses.
“No, I do not,” Hadi Matar, 27, said when asked by Chautauqua County Judge David Foley whether he wished to take the stand on Thursday.
Earlier on Thursday, prosecutors called a forensics expert as their final witness, wrapping up seven days of witness testimony, most notably from Mr Rushdie himself.
Hadi Matar, accused of repeatedly stabbing Salman Rushdie as the renowned author was being introduced for a lecture in New York, sits in court (AP)
The lawyers are scheduled to deliver closing arguments on Friday, followed by jury deliberations.
Matar is on trial in Chautauqua County Court in western New York, US on charges of attempted murder and assault for the attack at the nearby Chautauqua Institution that left Mr Rushdie, 77, blind in one eye and with other serious injuries.
Throughout the trial, Matar, who is from Fairview, New Jersey, was often seen taking notes and speaking with his lawyers.
On several occasions while being brought in or out of the courtroom, he declared “Free Palestine” to news cameras.
But defence lawyers had declined to say whether he intended to give evidence.
Matar also faces trial in US District Court in Buffalo on a separate indictment charging him with attempting to provide material support to the militant group Hezbollah.