The attempted murder trial of the man accused of seriously injuring author Salman Rushdie in a 2022 knife attack was put on hold Friday while a judge considers a request to transfer him to another county.
Jury selection was scheduled to begin Tuesday.
Late Friday, an appellate judge in Rochester halted proceedings until the court rules on a motion by Hadi Matar's attorneys to have the venue moved outside of Chautauqua County, where the case occurred.
The court could rule on the motion as early as Tuesday (the court is closed on Mondays), but the trial has been taken off the calendar until further notice, District Attorney Jason Schmidt said. said.
The judge in the attempted murder trial is considering a request to move the trial to another county.
AP
“It brings new difficulties and challenges for us,” he said. “I'm disappointed.”
Mattar's attorney, Nathaniel Barron, did not respond to a request for comment.
Mattar has been held without bail since Rushdie rushed to the stage as he prepared to speak at the Chautauqua Institute and stabbed him more than a dozen times before being subdued by onlookers.
The author of “The Devil's Verses” was left blind in one eye. Event host Henry Rees was also injured.
Mr Mataru has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and assault.
Federal authorities allege in a separate indictment that Mattar was motivated by his support for a terrorist organization's fatwa to kill Rushdie. A separate trial on federal charges of cross-border terrorism, providing material support to a terrorist organization, and attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization is scheduled in U.S. District Court in Buffalo.
