Jury selection has commenced in the US trial of the man accused of attacking writer Sir Salman Rushdie.
Hadi Matar faces charges of attempted murder and assault stemming from the August 2022 incident that caused Mr. Rushdie to lose vision in one eye.
The 27-year-old Mr. Matar has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The trial at Chautauqua County Court in New York state, previously postponed twice, is expected to feature Mr. Rushdie as a witness facing the defendant in court.
Originally scheduled for January 2024, the trial was delayed at the request of Mr. Matar's defense team, who sought time to review the contents of Mr. Rushdie's forthcoming memoir about the incident, which could be presented as evidence.
In October, the trial was temporarily halted after Mr. Matar's legal team pushed to relocate the proceedings to a different county. The request was denied, and the trial commenced in Chautauqua County Court as planned, despite concerns raised about potential biases due to the case's high profile and the absence of an Arab-American community in the small county.
As reported by the New York Post, Mr. Matar's defense argued that a fair trial was jeopardized in the Mayville-based court due to the case's public attention.
Five jurors were selected on Tuesday, with jury selection continuing Wednesday at 09:30 local time (14:30 GMT).
In August 2022, the Indian-born British-American author was critically injured, spending six weeks hospitalized after being attacked on stage at an event in New York state.
Mr. Matar, 24 at the time, stands accused of rushing on stage and carrying out the assault, resulting in severe injuries to Mr. Rushdie, including liver damage, lost vision, and a paralyzed hand due to nerve damage.
The Satanic Verses author expressed ambivalence about facing his alleged attacker in court, telling BBC Newshour, "I'm in two minds about it."
Henry Reese, the event moderator, also sustained injuries during the attack at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York state.
Notably, Mr. Rushdie, now 77, gained literary acclaim but faced threats and a fatwa following the 1988 publication of The Satanic Verses, a novel deemed blasphemous by some Muslims, prompting concerns for his safety that led to years in hiding."