Hadi Matar's trial for his attack on Salmon Rushdie may get delayed as Rushdie plans to publish a book about the incident. Chautauqua County Judge David Foley ruled in a pretrial conference that Matar is entitled to access the manuscript and related material for trial preparation. The inclusion of the book in the trial may delay the legal process.
An attack onstage in August 2022, during a lecture in a New York state institution, left the British author in a bad condition. The assailant stabbed Rushdie in multiple areas, leading to a six-week hospitalization. This incident resulted in Rushdie losing his vision in one eye and feelings in some of his fingertips. Rushdie's upcoming memoir, 'Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder' detailing the traumatic event, is slated for release on April 16 by Penguin. Matar and his lawyer, Nathaniel Barone, were given until January 3 to decide whether to delay the trial until they obtain the manuscript in advance or after its public release in spring.
Matar, a 26-year-old man from New Jersey, has been held without bail since his immediate arrest following the stabbing incident. Prosecutors, led by Jason Schmidt, assert that Matar was on a 'mission to kill Mr. Rushdie.' The attack occurred as Matar rushed from the audience to the stage, stabbing Rushdie multiple times until subdued by onlookers. While Matar's motive remains undisclosed, a jailhouse interview revealed his praise for Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and an assertion that Rushdie 'attacked Islam.'
Matar was born in the United States and has citizenship in both the U.S. and Lebanon, where his parents come from. His mother noticed a shift in Matar's behavior after his visit to his father in Lebanon in 2018, observing that he became quieter and moodier.
In the upcoming trial, prosecutor Jason Schmidt intends for Rushdie to testify about the attack. Rushdie, however, expressed mixed feelings in July, torn between a desire to confront the attacker in court and a lack of enthusiasm. A second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault were charged to Matar, to which he both pleaded not guilty. The attack occurred 33 years after Khomeini's fatwa against Rushdie for The Satanic Verses. Rushdie emphasized the necessity of his forthcoming memoir to reclaim control and respond to violence with art.
According to Schmidt, Rushdie's team declined the prosecutor's request for a copy of the memoir, citing intellectual property rights. Schmidt also wondered if the memoir's details were necessary for the trial, considering the attack had many witnesses, and Rushdie could testify. Schmidt also stated that there were recordings of the said attack.
Defense lawyer Nathaniel Barone expressed a preference for a delay but would discuss it with Matar. Barone Jury selection is set to start on January 8.
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