MAYVILLE, N.Y. Salman Rushdie was going to give a talk in front of a live audience in western New York in 2022 when a man rushed over and stabbed him in the hand as he raised it in self-defense.
In a subsequent memoir, Rushdie recalled that there were numerous strikes to his neck, chest, eye, and other places. My legs start to give way, and I go down.
Rushdie is anticipated to return to the same New York county in the upcoming weeks to narrate his experience as one of the initial witnesses in the trial of Hadi Matar, the guy accused of wielding the knife that day.
The jury selection process is expected to start on Tuesday. Matar, 27, of Fairview, New Jersey, entered a not guilty plea to counts of assault and attempted murder.
Depending on the situation, Rushdie’s book, which describes what happened to him that day and how he recovered, could provide crucial proof in the Aug. 12, 2022, attack that left the 77-year-old blind in his right eye and permanently injured in his hand.
However, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt stated at a pretrial hearing that this is not a back alley incident that takes place in a dark lane without witnesses. Thousands of people observed this live, and it was captured on video.
Schmidt stated that in addition to still images and paperwork, jurors will be shown footage of the attack. He stated that during the trial, which is anticipated to last several weeks, an estimated 15 witnesses will testify.
Nathaniel Barone, Matar’s attorney, has not provided specifics about his strategy for defending his client against the accusations. He has clapped back at critics who question why Matar did not take a plea deal in light of the prosecution s case.
That isn’t the point of this. According to Barone, it’s about due process. It has to do with getting a fair trial. Anyone has the right to exercise their rights if they so choose.
Federal officials claim in a different charge that Matar was inspired by a terrorist group endorsing a fatwa, or decree, that demanded Rushdie’s murder. The U.S. District Court in Buffalo will have a separate trial on the federal accusations of terrorism that crosses national borders, giving material support to terrorists, and attempting to give material assistance to a terrorist organization.
Rushdie spent years in hiding after the late Iranian leader Ayatollah RuhollahKhomeini issued the fatwa in 1989after publication of the novel The Satanic Verses, which some Muslims consider blasphemous. According to the federal indictment, officials claim that Matar thought the decree was supported by the militant organization Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon, and that Hassan Nasrallah, the group’s then-leader, had approved it in a 2006 speech.
Schmidt, however, said it is doubtful that the fatwa will be discussed with the jury in the Chautauqua County case. He has stated that he does not expect to have to prove Matar’s potential motivation in order to secure a conviction on the state charges.
This is a confined incident, in my opinion. The incident is a stabbing. “It’s pretty simple,” Schmidt added. I don’t think it’s necessary to discuss motive evidence, including its components and if it applies. I d like to avoid all of it.
Despite the fatwa’s statements during earlier court proceedings, defense lawyer Barone suggested jurors should be checked for any prejudice against people of Middle Eastern heritage.
They have discussed how this book featuring Muslims is the reason this purported crime is said to have happened. According to him, it’s as if the barn door has been opened.
Although Matar was born in the United States, he is also a dual citizen of Lebanon, the country of his parents’ birth. Originally from India, Rushdie spent several years living in London. In 2016, he obtained U.S. citizenship.
Since his arrest, Matar has been detained without bail when spectators rushed the amphitheater stage and subdued him. Henry Reese, a co-founder of Pittsburgh’s City of Asylum, who moderated the event, was also hurt.