Prosecutors in New York state asked a judge to withhold the names of witnesses to the attack on author Salman Rushdie until it is time for the trial.
In this still image from video, author Salman Rushdie is taken on a stretcher to a helicopter for transport to a hospital after he was attacked during a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, N.Y.
"We total it to be 90 days from the arraignment," Schmidt said following a hearing Wednesday at Chautauqua County Court, the newspaper reported."We are required by statute to declare trial readiness by 90 days, otherwise a defendant can be discharged from the county jail."Matar, who has, allegedly attacked Rushdie during an Aug. 12 lecture at the Chautauqua Institution education center.
The fatwa was issued after Rushdie authored"The Satanic Verses," a book banned in Iran since 1988 and is considered blasphemous by some Muslims. "There’s nothing that’s been provided to us to show that the Iranian government is actively supporting the attack on any supporters of Mr. Rushdie who may come forward to testify," Matar's public defender Nathaniel Barone said during his opposition to Schmidt's motion, according to the Post-Journal.