MAYVILLE, N.Y. — The man accused in the attempted murder of author Salman Rushdie in Western New York more than two years ago is now set to stand trial after several delays.


What You Need To Know

  •  The Hadi Matar trial is set to begin Tuesday with jury selection

  •  Matar is accused of stabbing author Salman Rushdie and wounding another

  • Twelve jurors and four alternates are expected to be chosen within a two-week period

Hadi Matar appeared in Chautauqua County court Wednesday for his pre-trial conference.

Matar is accused of stabbing Rushdie several times and wounding another back in August 2022.

The proceeding allowed both sides of the case to iron out any outstanding issues and housekeeping procedures before jury selection begins on Tuesday.

Attorneys discussed with the judge issues like how long each side will have to question perspective jurors. 

"It's always good to go into the trial with some certainty about how the jury selection process is going to begin, but aside from those issues, you're always gaining some insight during a pre-trial conference as to what's important to, in this case, the defense," said Jason Schmidt, (R) district attorney, Chautauqua County.

"To discuss the issues around jury selection and what we were going to do procedurally during jury selection to try and ensure a fair process," said Ned Barone, chief public defender, Chautauqua County

In addition to the 12-juror panel, the judge has ordered four alternates be selected. Jury selection is expected to take about two weeks.