Trial of Salman Rushdie’s Assailant Will Remain in New York County Where Stabbing Happened

Hadi Matar, charged with attempted murder for stabbing author Salman Rushdie more than a dozen times, is escorted into the courtroom for a hearing in Chautauqua County Court in Mayville, N.Y., on Oct. 4, 2024. Carolyn Thompson/AP Photo

ROCHESTER, N.Y.—An appellate court on Friday denied a request to move the trial of the New Jersey man charged with attacking author Salman Rushdie with a knife in 2022, clearing the way for the trial to move forward in the western New York county where the stabbing occurred.

Hadi Matar’s trial was put on hold days before the scheduled Oct. 15 start of jury selection, pending a decision by the Rochester court. A new trial date was not immediately set.