MAYVILLE, N.Y. — The case against a New Jersey man accused attacking world-renowned author Salman Rushdie has been delayed.
Hadi Matar is accused of stabbing Rushdie while he was giving a speech at the Chautauqua Institution back in 2022, blinding him in his right eye. Prosecutors said he carried out the attack to fulfill a fatwa, or Islamic edict, put out by a Hezbollah leader who called for Rushdie's death back in 2006.
Jury selection had been set to start on Tuesday, but Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said that's on hold because the defense is asking for a venue change.
Schmidt said once the case does begin, Rushdie is expected to testify.
"We do expect Mr. Rushdie to testify," Schmidt said. "We've been working with Mr. Rushdie. I'd like to bring him in during the early phase of the trials, probably the first couple of days."
The "Satanic Verses" author survived the stabbing, which left him blind in his right eye.