Trial rescheduled for individual charged with stabbing author Salman Rushdie.
In August 2022, author Salman Rushdie was attacked on stage right before he was going to give a speech at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. His attacker, who was 24-year-old Hadi Matar at the time, pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder in the second degree and assault in the second degree, according to CNN's previous reporting.
Matar's trial was due to start on January 8, 2024, but it was postponed so his legal team could attempt to get their hands on information related to Rushdie's new memoir "Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder."
Both Rushdie and Henry Reese, the event organizer who was also injured in the attack, are expected to take the stand during the trial, according to the Chautauqua County District Attorney's Office in an email response.
Rushdie sustained grave injuries in the assault, having been stabbed 15 times in just 27 seconds by his attacker. One of his eyes was permanently damaged. The 76-year-old writer—the son of a successful Muslim businessman in India—is considered one of the most influential authors of his generation, but has faced death threats since the release of his 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses."
In a phone call with CNN on Tuesday, Matar's lawyer Nathaniel Barone expressed worry about the possibility of an impartial jury being selected given the proximity of the crime scene.
"The scene of the incident is just five minutes away, right down the road," he said, adding that he plans to request a change of venue for the trial.
Barone stated that federal officials were conducting a global investigation into Matar, but they had not yet brought any federal indictments against him.
"I'm preparing for trial, I'm preparing to file every motion I can think of, and that's how we're approaching it," he expressed.
Previously, Barone informed CNN that Matar has always maintained his innocence.
"The one thing I've emphasized throughout this is, everyone is entitled to their day in court, and there's the presumption of innocence, which is the most important constitutional right any of us can have," he commented in October.
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During the trial, the US legal team will argue for Matar's right to access information related to Rushdie's new memoir.After the postponement of the trial, Matar's legal team launched an intense preparation phase, preparing for every possible motion.
