MAYVILLE – A trial involving a New Jersey man who attempted to kill a famous author has once again been delayed.

Jury selection was scheduled to begin Tuesday in the case of Hadi Matar, the suspect accused of stabbing award-winning novelist Salman Rushdie in August 2022 while at Chautauqua Institution.

According to Chautauqua County Public Defender Nathan Barone, his office was informed today that his appeal to have the trial delayed has been accepted.

Earlier this week, Barone told The Post-Journal and OBSERVER that he requested a change of venue for the trial, however the Appellate Division was not going to take up the matter until Tuesday, which was the start of jury selection.

Because of this, he had requested a judge on the Appellate Division order a stay for the trial until the Appellate Division makes its ruling.

That request was honored Friday, less than two hours after Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt held a virtual press conference regarding the trial. At that press conference, Schmidt said he was waiting to hear if the trial would be delayed, but was moving ahead as if jury selection would begin Tuesday.

Barone’s request for a change of venue focused on finding an impartial jury in Chautauqua County as well as if a jury of Matar’s peers could be found in Chautauqua County.

Matar is of Arab-American descent. Both of his parents are Lebanese. “Given the atmosphere in the country and throughout the world right now, it’s become a very hot topic,” Barone said in an interview earlier this week.

He said he has concerns about “inherent and implicit bias” toward Arab Americans. “There’s a segment of the population that looks at them or hears about them and they form a stereotype,” Barone said.

Barone noted that the Muslim or Arab-American community in Chautauqua County “whether it’s descent or religious belief is non-existent.”

Barone would like to see the trial moved to one of the boroughs of New York City or Erie County, where there is a higher Arab-American population.

See additional information in the weekend editions of The Post-Journal and OBSERVER.