Opening statements begin in trial of man accused of trying to kill Salman Rushdie

Mayville, New York — 

Lawyers began delivering opening statements Monday astatine the proceedings of the antheral charged with trying to fatally stab writer Salman Rushdie successful beforehand of a lecture assemblage successful occidental New York.

Rushdie, 77, is expected to attest during the proceedings of Hadi Matar, bringing the writer face-to-face with his knife-wielding attacker for the archetypal clip successful much than 2 years.

Rushdie, the Booker Prize-winning author, had been astir to talk astir keeping writers harmless from harm successful August 2022 erstwhile Matar ran toward him connected the signifier astatine the Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater. Matar stabbed Rushdie much than a twelve times successful the neck, stomach, chest, manus and close eye, leaving him partially unsighted and with imperishable harm to 1 hand.

The Indian-born British-American writer elaborate the onslaught and his long, achy betterment successful a memoir, "Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder," released past year. Rushdie had disquieted for his information since his 1989 caller "The Satanic Verses" was denounced arsenic blasphemous by galore Muslims and led to Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issuing a fatwa calling for his death.

Rushdie spent years successful hiding, but had traveled freely implicit the past 4th period aft Iran announced it would not enforce the decree.

The proceedings is taking spot arsenic the 36th day of the fatwa — Feb. 14, 1989 — approaches.

Matar, 27, of Fairview, New Jersey, is charged with attempted execution and assault. He has pleaded not guilty.

A assemblage was selected past week. Matar was successful tribunal passim the three-day process, taking notes and consulting with his attorneys. He calmly said, "Free Palestine" portion being led successful to tribunal Monday past members of the media taking photographs and video.

Matar's defence faced a challenging commencement aft it was announced that his lawyer, Nathaniel Barone, was hospitalized with an undisclosed unwellness and would not be the commencement of the trial.

Judge David Foley refused a defence petition to postpone opening statements, alternatively instructing an subordinate of Barone to present the defense's opening connection successful his place.

Once grounds is underway, the proceedings is expected to past a week to 10 days. Jurors volition beryllium shown video and photos from the time of the attack, which ended erstwhile onlookers rushed Matar and held him until constabulary arrived.

The event's moderator, Henry Reese, co-founder of City of Asylum successful Pittsburgh, was besides wounded. Matar told investigators helium traveled by autobus to Chautauqua, astir 120 kilometers southbound of Buffalo. He is believed to person slept successful the grounds of the arts and world retreat the nighttime earlier the attack.

Matar's lawyer has not indicated what his defence volition be. In a abstracted indictment, national authorities allege Matar was motivated by a violent organization's endorsement of a fatwa, oregon edict, calling for Rushdie's death.

A aboriginal proceedings connected the national charges — coercion transcending nationalist boundaries, providing worldly enactment to terrorists and attempting to supply worldly enactment to a violent enactment — volition beryllium scheduled successful U.S. District Court successful Buffalo.

Rushdie has been 1 of the world's astir celebrated authors since the 1981 work of "Midnight's Children," victor of the Booker Prize. His different works see the novels "Shame" and "Victory City," which helium had completed soon earlier the 2022 stabbing, and the 2012 memoir "Joseph Anton," successful which helium wrote astir his clip successful hiding.

In the national indictment, authorities allege Matar believed the edict was backed by the Lebanon-based militant radical Hezbollah and endorsed successful a 2006 code by the group's then-leader, Hassan Nasrallah.