Prosecutor: Trial date set for man accused of stabbing author Salman Rushdie near Erie, Pa.
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A trial date has been set for the man accused of stabbing author Salman Rushdie in Chautauqua, New York.
Prosecutors in Chautauqua County told reporters Friday that 25-year-old Hadi Matar, of New Jersey, will begin his trial on Jan. 8. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Jan. 2.
Matar faces charges of second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault. He’s pleaded not guilty to both charges and has been remanded to Chautauqua County Jail.
Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said Friday he anticipates a “straightforward” trial, estimating two weeks of jury selection and another 10-14 days or less for the trial.
“I think the biggest hurdle for all of us is going to be picking a fair and impartial jury,” he said, referencing the level of publicity that surrounded the incident.
The jury will be composed of Chautauqua County residents.
Schmidt said Rushdie is on his witness list to potentially testify and that he’s been in touch with the author’s representatives to alert him of the trial schedule.
“We’re ready,” Schmidt said of the trial. “We’ve spent a lot of time and effort to comply with our discovery obligations under the law. I think at this point now we’re just in trial mode and we’re prepared to proceed.”
Matar is being represented by Chautauqua County Public Defender Nathaniel Barone.
Matar apprehended after Chautauqua Institution attack
Matar was apprehended on Aug. 12, 2022, after authorities say he rushed the stage of the Chautauqua Institution's amphitheater and stabbed Rushdie, 76, and injured another speaker, Henry Reese, 74.
Prosecutors argue that Matar's attack was not random but motivated by the fatwa, or death threat, issued by Iran's leadership against Rushdie over the author's 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses."
Rushdie underwent surgery at UPMC Hamot in Erie. Reese, who suffered a minor facial injury, was released from an Erie hospital the day of the attack.
Rushdie, who lost an eye in the attack, has made public appearances since the attack, delivering a video message to the British Book Awards on May 15 and then speaking in person at the PEN America’s literary gala in New York on May 18. Rushdie said he plans to write a book about the attack.
A.J. Rao can be reached at arao@gannett.com. Follow him on X @ETNRao.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Man accused of stabbing Salman Rushdie to begin trial early next year
