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Man accused of attacking Sir Salman Rushdie makes third US court appearance

Hadi Matar, 24, appeared at an afternoon hearing at Chautauqua County Court in New York state on Wednesday.
Hadi Matar, 24, appeared at an afternoon hearing at Chautauqua County Court in New York state on Wednesday. Hadi Matar, 24, appeared at an afternoon hearing at Chautauqua County Court in New York state on Wednesday.

The man accused of stabbing Sir Salman Rushdie on stage last month has made a brief third appearance in a US court.

Hadi Matar, 24, appeared at the hearing at Chautauqua County Court in New York state on Wednesday, having pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and assault charges last month.

He appeared in person again for the discovery hearing, wearing a striped county jail uniform, which lasted less than an hour.

Chautauqua District Attorney Jason Schmidt filed an order to show cause, which requests Matar be produced again next week on September 13.

The PA news agency understands that the hearing will be used by the prosecution to argue why more time is needed to examine evidence in the case.

Matar, of Fairview, New Jersey, was indicted on the charges by a grand jury following the incident on August 12.

He was arrested after allegedly rushing on to the stage at the Chautauqua Institution, stabbing Sir Salman about a dozen times in front of a crowd, including in the neck and eye.

He was later charged with one count of second-degree attempted murder, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, and one count of second-degree assault.

He entered his pleas on August 18 and later appeared at a brief motion hearing on August 24.

Judge David Foley previously refused to grant Matar bail, according to court papers.