Hadi Matar, the 26-year-old accused of attacking author Salman Rushdie in August 2022, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and assault during his first day of trial at Chautauqua County Courthouse.

Axar.az, citing Jerusalem Post, reports that as he was escorted past reporters, he said, "free Palestine."

Rushdie, who was stabbed multiple times on stage at a literary event, suffered severe injuries, including loss of sight in one eye and permanent damage to one hand. Matar was charged with second-degree attempted murder and assault and has been held without bail. Authorities previously stated he had sympathies toward Shi'ite extremism and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).