The trial of the New Jersey man charged with a knife attack that injured author Salman Rushdie has been put on hold as judges consider a request to move the trial to another county. The attempted murder trial was scheduled to commence with jury selection on Tuesday but was halted on Friday by an appellate judge in Rochester.
The defendant, Hadi Matar, is accused of severely injuring Salman Rushdie in a 2022 knife attack in New York. Matar’s attorney has requested a change of venue out of Chautauqua County, where the attack took place. District Attorney Jason Schmidt expressed disappointment at the trial being put on hold, citing added difficulties and challenges.
Matar has been held without bail since the incident where he rushed the stage as Rushdie was about to speak at the Chautauqua Institution and stabbed him multiple times. Rushdie was left blinded in one eye, and the event’s moderator, Henry Reese, was also wounded in the attack. Matar has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and assault charges.
Additionally, federal authorities have brought separate charges against Matar alleging that he was motivated by a terrorist organization’s endorsement of a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death. These federal charges include terrorism transcending national boundaries and providing material support to terrorists. A separate trial for the federal charges will be scheduled in U.S. District Court in Buffalo.
The court is expected to rule on the motion for a change of venue early next week, with the trial currently off the calendar until further notice. Matar’s attorney has not provided immediate comment on the situation. The halt in proceedings has posed further challenges for the prosecution team as they await the court’s decision on whether the trial will be moved to another county.