NEW YORK — The man charged with stabbing author Salman Rushdie is set to stand trial in Western New York.
Jury selection began Tuesday in Chautauqua County Court for the case against Hadi Matar. The 27-year-old from New Jersey has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault.
In August 2022, Rushdie was attacked and stabbed multiple times just before he was to speak at an event on writer safety. While he survived the assault, it left him blind in one eye and with permanent hand injuries.
The 77-year-old author is expected to be one of the first witnesses to testify. The trial is expected to last several weeks, with around 15 witnesses called to the stand, according to Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt.
Prosecutors plan to show the jury video footage of the attack but will not delve into whether Matar was motivated by a fatwa, or religious edict, from a terrorist group calling for Rushdie’s death. The district attorney stated that the issue will be addressed separately in a federal trial for Matar in U.S. District Court in Buffalo.
"From my perspective, this is a localized event. It's a stabbing incident. It's fairly straightforward," Schmidt said. "I don't see any need to go into motive evidence, whether it’s applicable or not, or what it involves. I would prefer to avoid all of that."
Matar’s attorney, Nathaniel Barone, contended that jurors should be screened for any potential bias against people of Middle Eastern descent due to the fatwa being discussed in previous court hearings.
"They’ve mentioned that this alleged crime supposedly happened because of a book involving Muslims, and all of that," Barone noted. "So, it’s like the barn door’s already been opened."
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