MAYVILLE, N.Y. — In August 2022, renowned author Salman Rushdie was preparing to give a lecture in western New York when he was viciously attacked. As he raised his hand in self-defense, a man rushed at him and plunged a knife into his palm. “After that there are many blows, to my neck, to my chest, to my eye, everywhere,” Rushdie shared in a memoir he authored afterward. He vividly remembered feeling his strength fade as he collapsed to the ground.
Rushdie is set to return to the same area for a trial involving Hadi Matar, the individual accused of assaulting him. Jury selection is slated to begin on Tuesday. Matar, a 27-year-old from Fairview, New Jersey, has entered a plea of not guilty to charges that include attempted murder and assault.
Under different circumstances, Rushdie’s memoir, which captures the events of that tragic day along with his road to recovery, could serve as significant evidence in the case stemming from the assault on August 12, 2022. This attack resulted in Rushdie, aged 77, losing sight in his right eye and sustaining lasting injuries to his hand. However, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt remarked that this incident wasn’t a private affair. “This isn’t a back alley event that occurs unwitnessed in a dark alley,” he stated after a pretrial hearing. “This is something that was recorded, it was witnessed live by thousands of people.”
Prosecutors plan to present jurors with video footage of the attack, along with photographs and various documentation, as Schmidt noted. The trial is expected to include testimony from around 15 witnesses over several weeks.
Matar’s attorney, Nathaniel Barone, has not yet revealed how he intends to defend his client against the accusations. He has, however, responded to inquiries regarding Matar’s decision to reject a plea deal, emphasizing that the focus should be on the principles of due process and fair trial rights. “If someone wants to exercise those rights, they’re entitled to do that,” Barone asserted.
In a separate indictment, federal authorities allege that Matar acted under the encouragement of a terrorist organization that endorsed a fatwa—a decree calling for Rushdie’s assassination. This serious charge encompasses terrorism that crosses national borders, among other accusations, and a trial related to these federal charges will be scheduled in U.S. District Court in Buffalo.
Rushdie had previously spent years in hiding following a fatwa issued by the late Iranian leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989, following the release of Rushdie’s controversial novel “The Satanic Verses,” deemed blasphemous by some Muslims. Federal indictments indicate that Matar believed this fatwa had the backing of the militant group Hezbollah, highly publicized by the group’s former leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in a 2006 speech.
However, Schmidt has indicated that jurors in the Chautauqua County trial are unlikely to hear about the fatwa. He believes it’s unnecessary to delve into Matar’s motivations for obtaining a conviction on the state charges. “From my standpoint, this is a localized event. It’s a stabbing event. It’s fairly straightforward,” Schmidt explained, expressing a desire to avoid complications regarding motive.
Despite this, Barone emphasized the importance of screening jurors for potential biases against individuals of Middle Eastern descent, given the context of discussions surrounding the fatwa in earlier court proceedings. “They’ve talked about the reason why this alleged crime supposedly occurred was because of this book involving Muslims,” he commented.
Matar, who was born in the U.S. but holds dual citizenship with Lebanon through his parents, has been in custody without bail since his arrest following the attack, which was halted when audience members rushed to restrain him. The event’s moderator, Henry Reese, who co-founded City of Asylum in Pittsburgh, also suffered injuries during the incident.
