The man charged with stabbing author Salman Rushdie rejected a plea deal Tuesday that would have shortened his state prison term but exposed him to a federal terrorism-related charge, the suspect's lawyer said.
Hadi Matar, 26, has been held without bail since the 2022 attack, in which he is accused of stabbing Rushdie more than a dozen times and blinding him in one eye as the acclaimed writer was onstage, about to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York.
Matar’s attorney, Nathaniel Barone, confirmed that Matar, who lived in Fairview, New Jersey, rejected the agreement Tuesday in Mayville, New York.
The agreement would have had Matar plead guilty in Chautauqua County to attempted murder in exchange for a maximum state prison sentence of 20 years, down from 25 years. It would have also required him to plead guilty to a federal charge of attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization, which could result in an additional 20 years, attorneys said.
Rushdie, who detailed the attack and his recovery in a memoir, had spent years in hiding after the Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or edict, in 1989 calling for his death over Rushdie's novel “The Satanic Verses,” which some Muslims consider blasphemous. The author reemerged into the public the late 1990s and has traveled freely over the past two decades.
Matar was born in the U.S. but holds dual citizenship in Lebanon, where his parents were born. His mother has said that her son had become withdrawn and moody after visiting his father in Lebanon in 2018.
Rushdie wrote in his memoir that he saw a man running toward him in the amphitheater, where he was about to speak about the importance of keeping writers safe from harm. The author is on the witness list for Matar's upcoming trial.
Representatives for Rushdie did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
FILE - Salman Rushdie poses for a portrait to promote his book "Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder", at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, May 16, 2024. Hadi Matar, the man charged with stabbing Rushdie rejected a plea deal Tuesday, July 2, 2024, that would have shortened his state prison term but exposed him to a federal terrorism-related charge, the suspect's lawyer said.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)
FILE - Author Salman Rushdie is tended to after he was attacked during a lecture, Friday, Aug. 12, 2022, at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, N.Y., about 75 miles (120 km) south of Buffalo. Hadi Matar, the man charged with stabbing Rushdie rejected a plea deal Tuesday, July 2, 2024, that would have shortened his state prison term but exposed him to a federal terrorism-related charge, the suspect's lawyer said. (AP Photo/Joshua Goodman, File)
FILE - Hadi Matar, the man charged with stabbing author Salman Rushdie, arrives for an arraignment at the Chautauqua County Courthouse, Aug. 13, 2022, in Mayville, N.Y. Matar rejected a plea deal Tuesday, July 2, 2024, that would have shortened his state prison term but exposed him to a federal terrorism-related charge, the suspect's lawyer said. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
LONDON (AP) — British voters were picking a new government Thursday in a parliamentary election widely expected to bring the Labour Party to power against a gloomy backdrop of economic malaise, mounting distrust in institutions and a fraying social fabric.
A jaded electorate is delivering its verdict on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party, which has been in power since 2010. Polls opened at 40,000 stations, including churches, a laundromat and a crematorium.
"Nothing has gone well in the last 14 years," said London voter James Erskine, who was optimistic for change. "I just see this as the potential for a seismic shift, and that’s what I’m hoping for."
While Labour’s steady and significant lead in the polls would appear to buck recent rightward electoral shifts in Europe, including in France and Italy, many of those same populist undercurrents flow in Britain. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has roiled the race with his party’s anti-migrant "take our country back" sentiment and undercut support for the Conservatives, who already faced dismal prospects.
Hundreds of communities were locked in tight contests in which traditional party loyalties come second to more immediate concerns about the economy, crumbling infrastructure and the National Health Service.
In Henley-on-Thames, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of London, voters like Patricia Mulcahy, who is retired, sensed the nation was looking for something different. The community, which normally votes Conservative, may change its stripes this time.
“The younger generation are far more interested in change,’’ Mulcahy said. “So, I think whatever happens in Henley, in the country, there will be a big shift. But whoever gets in, they’ve got a heck of a job ahead of them. It’s not going to be easy.”
Britain has experienced a run of turbulent years — some of it of the Conservatives' own making and some of it not — that has left many voters pessimistic about their country's future. The U.K.'s exit from the European Union followed by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine battered the economy, while lockdown-breaching parties held by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his staff caused widespread anger.
Johnson’s successor, Liz Truss, rocked the economy further with a package of drastic tax cuts and lasted just 49 days in office. Rising poverty and cuts to state services have led to gripes about "Broken Britain."
The first part of the day was sunny in much of the country — favorable weather to get people to the polls.
In the first hour polls were open, Sunak made the short journey from his home to vote at Kirby Sigston Village Hall in his Richmond constituency in northern England. He arrived with his wife, Akshata Murty, and walked hand-in-hand into the village hall, which is surrounded by rolling fields.
The center-left Labour Party led by Keir Starmer has had a steady and significant lead in opinion polls for months, but its leaders have warned against taking the election result for granted, worried their supporters will stay home.
"Change. Today, you can vote for it,” he wrote Thursday on the X social media platform.
A couple of hours after posting that message, Starmer walked hand-in-hand with his wife, Victoria, into a polling place in the Kentish Town section of London to cast his vote. He left through a back door out of sight of a crowd of residents and journalists who had gathered.
Labour has not set pulses racing with its pledges to get the sluggish economy growing, invest in infrastructure and make Britain a “clean energy superpower.”
But nothing has really gone wrong in its campaign, either. The party has won the support of large chunks of the business community and endorsements from traditionally conservative newspapers, including the Rupert Murdoch-owned Sun tabloid, which praised Starmer for “dragging his party back to the center ground of British politics.”
The Conservatives have acknowledged that Labour appears headed for victory.
In a message to voters on Wednesday, Sunak said that “if the polls are to be believed, the country could wake up tomorrow to a Labour supermajority ready to wield their unchecked power.” He urged voters to back the Conservatives to limit Labour's power.
Former Labour candidate Douglas Beattie, author of the book “How Labour Wins (and Why it Loses),” said Starmer's “quiet stability probably chimes with the mood of the country right now.”
The Conservatives, meanwhile, have been plagued by gaffes. The campaign got off to an inauspicious start when rain drenched Sunak as he made the announcement outside 10 Downing St. Then, Sunak went home early from commemorations in France marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.
Several Conservatives close to Sunak are being investigated over suspicions they used inside information to place bets on the date of the election before it was announced.
Sunak has struggled to shake off the taint of political chaos and mismanagement that’s gathered around the Conservatives.
But for many voters, the lack of trust applies not just to the governing party, but to politicians in general. Farage has leaped into that breach.
The centrist Liberal Democrats and environmentalist Green Party also want to sweep up disaffected voters.
“I don’t know who’s for me as a working person,” said Michelle Bird, a port worker in Southampton on England’s south coast who was undecided about whether to vote Labour or Conservative. “I don’t know whether it’s the devil you know or the devil you don’t.”
Follow AP's coverage of elections around the world: https://apnews.com/hub/global-elections/
Two Chelsea Pensioners go to cast their vote in a temporary polling station next to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, home to some veteran armed forces members, in London Thursday, July 4, 2024. Britain goes to the polls Thursday after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a general election.(AP Photo/David Cliff)
Britain's LibDem party leader Ed Davey and his wife Emily Daveypose for the media after they cast their vote at polling station in Kingston, London, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Britain goes to the polls Thursday after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a general election.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
A woman holds a tray after offering hot drinks to members of the media waiting for Labour Party leader Keir Starmer to vote outside a polling station in London, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Voters in the U.K. are casting their ballots in a national election to choose the 650 lawmakers who will sit in Parliament for the next five years. Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised his own party on May 22 when he called the election. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
People walk from Falwell windmill and mill which is a temporary polling station, after casting their vote in Sunderland, England, Thursday, July 4, 2024.Britain goes to the polls Thursday after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a general election. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer walks out of a polling booth after casting her vote in the 2024 General Election at Redland Park United Reformed Church in Bristol, England, Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)
A woman displays a Reform UK Party badge on her hat in Clacton On Sea, England, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Voters in the U.K. are casting their ballots in a national election to choose the 650 lawmakers who will sit in Parliament for the next five years. Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised his own party on May 22 when he called the election. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)
A cyclist arrives to cast her vote in a caravan used as a polling station in the 2024 General Election, in Carlton, England, Thursday July 4, 2024. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)
A polling station volunteer puts out notices just before voting starts in London, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Britain goes to the polls Thursday after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a general election. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A polling station is installed inside a launderette for the 2024 General Election, in Oxford, England, Thursday July 4, 2024. (Jacob King/PA via AP)
A woman exits a polling station set up at St George's Cathedral in London, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Voters in the U.K. are casting their ballots in a national election to choose the 650 lawmakers who will sit in Parliament for the next five years. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Voters arrive to cast their votes at Whitley Bay cemetery where there is polling station inside, in Whitley Bay, England, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Britain goes to the polls Thursday after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a general election. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
A woman leaves after casting her vote at a polling station in London, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Voters in the U.K. are casting their ballots in a national election to choose the 650 lawmakers who will sit in Parliament for the next five years. Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised his own party on May 22 when he called the election. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A man cycles with his daughter after casting his vote at Whitley Bay cemetery where there is polling station inside, in Whitley Bay, England, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Britain goes to the polls Thursday after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a general election. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
DUP leader Gavin Robinson, left, gives the thumbs up after after casting his vote with his wife Lindsay in the 2024 General Election at Dundonald Elim Church in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Thursday July 4, 2024. (Liam McBurneyPA via AP)
Scottish First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney, right, stands with local parliamentary candidate for Angus and Perthshire Glens, Dave Doogan, after casting his vote outside the 2024 General Election polling station at Burreltown Village Hall in Blairgowrie, Scotland, Thursday July 4, 2024. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)
Voters queue at a polling station in London, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Voters in the U.K. are casting their ballots in a national election to choose the 650 lawmakers who will sit in Parliament for the next five years. Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised his own party on May 22 when he called the election. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A man leaves a temporary polling station at Wimbledon Village, London, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Voters in the U.K. are casting their ballots in a national election to choose the 650 lawmakers who will sit in Parliament for the next five years. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
People vote in a temporary polling station next to Norbiton railway station London Thursday, July 4, 2024. Britain goes to the polls Thursday after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a general election. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
People walk into a temporary polling station at Wimbledon Village, London, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Voters in the U.K. are casting their ballots in a national election to choose the 650 lawmakers who will sit in Parliament for the next five years. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
A dog sits outside a polling station in Southfields in London, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Voters in the U.K. are casting their ballots in a national election to choose the 650 lawmakers who will sit in Parliament for the next five years. Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised his own party on May 22 when he called the election. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
A dog waits outside Pollokshields Burgh Halls polling station during the 2024 General Election, in Glasgow, Scotland, Thursday July 4, 2024. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)
A woman walks past a temporary polling station near Wimbledon, London, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Voters in the U.K. are casting their ballots in a national election to choose the 650 lawmakers who will sit in Parliament for the next five years.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
A voter arrives to cast his ballot at a 2024 General Election polling station in Whitley Bay Cemetery and Crematorium, in north east England, Thursday July 4, 2024. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)
A voter arrives to cast his ballot at a 2024 General Election polling station in Whitley Bay Cemetery and Crematorium, in north east England, Thursday July 4, 2024. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and wife Victoria arrive at a polling station to cast their vote in London, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Voters in the U.K. are casting their ballots in a national election to choose the 650 lawmakers who will sit in Parliament for the next five years. Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised his own party on May 22 when he called the election. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Labour leader Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria arrive to cast their votes in the 2024 General Election at Willingham Close TRA Hall in London, Thursday July 4, 2024. (James Manning/PA via AP)
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and wife Victoria arrive at a polling station to cast their vote in London, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Voters in the U.K. are casting their ballots in a national election to choose the 650 lawmakers who will sit in Parliament for the next five years. Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised his own party on May 22 when he called the election. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, center, arrives with First Minister of Wales Vaughan Gething, right, and and local parliamentary candidate for Carmarthenshire, Martha O'Neil, left, for a visit to the West Regwm Farm Events Venue in Whitland, Carmarthenshire, while on the General Election campaign trail, in Wales, Wednesday July 3, 2024. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
Britain's Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer, center, reacts after giving a speech during a visit to the Caledonian Gladiators Stadium in East Kilbride, Scotland, Wednesday July 3, 2024, while on the General Election campaign trail. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)
A woman takes out stickers to prepare a polling station early morning in London, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Voters in the U.K. are casting their ballots in a national election to choose the 650 lawmakers who will sit in Parliament for the next five years. Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised his own party on May 22 when he called the election, which could have taken place as late as January 2025. Polls opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 10 p.m. on Thursday night. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A woman walks past a polling station just before voting starts in a general election, in London, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Britain goes to the polls Thursday after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a general election. (AP Photo/David Cliff)
Voters arrive at a polling station in London, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Voters in the U.K. are casting their ballots in a national election to choose the 650 lawmakers who will sit in Parliament for the next five years. Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised his own party on May 22 when he called the election, which could have taken place as late as January 2025. Polls opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 10 p.m. on Thursday night. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty leave a polling station after voting near Richmond, North Yorkshire, England, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Britain goes to the polls Thursday after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a general election. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell )
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty walk to a polling station to vote near Richmond, North Yorkshire, England, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Britain goes to the polls Thursday after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a general election. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell )
Britain's Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer speaks during a visit to the Caledonian Gladiators Stadium in East Kilbride, Scotland, Wednesday July 3, 2024, while on the General Election campaign trail. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty walk from a polling station after voting near Richmond, North Yorkshire, England, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Britain goes to the polls Thursday after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a general election. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell )
People react to Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, speaking during an electoral rally at Clacton Pier in Clacton-on-Sea, England, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. United Kingdom voters will cast ballots in a national election Thursday, passing judgment on Sunak's 20 months in office, and on the four Conservative prime ministers before him. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, center, leaves after addressing supporters during his visit to the West Regwm Farm Events Venue in Whitland, Carmarthenshire, while on the General Election campaign trail, in Wales, Wednesday July 3, 2024. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak looks on as journalists ask him questions, during a visit to Braishfield primary school as part of a Conservative general election campaign event in Hampshire, England, Wednesday July 3, 2024. (Claudia Greco/Pool Photo via AP)
