Sir Salman Rushdie was so stunned he didn’t try to fight back after a masked man stabbed him on stage, a court has heard.
The 77-year-old author was attacked moments before he was due to present a lecture on keeping writers safe in New York in August 2022. He was left seriously wounded and blind in one eye.
Hadi Matar, 27, is now standing trial for attempted murder and assault. He has pleaded not guilty and said “Free Palestine” as he was brought into Chautauqua County court in Mayville, New York, on Monday.
As the opening statements were delivered, district attorney Jason Schmidt described a sudden attack by Matar – saying he bound up a small staircase and burst onto the stage as the event got under way.
Both Sir Salman and fellow speaker Henry Reese – who was also injured – were so stunned by the attack that they initially remained in their seats, the court heard.
Mr Schmidt said: “Without hesitation, this man holding his knife […] forcefully and efficiently in its speed, plunged the knife into Mr Rushdie over and over and over again.”
Matar was “stabbing, swinging, slicing into Mr Rushdie’s head, his throat, his abdomen, his thigh”, Mr Schmidt added.
“It all happened so fast that even the person under attack, Mr Rushdie, and the person sitting next to him, Mr Reese, didn’t register what was happening,” the prosecutor said.
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It is believed Sir Salman will testify during the trial, which is expected to last 10 days.
The Indian-born British-American author previously detailed the attack – and his long recovery – in his 2024 memoir, Knife: Meditations After An Attempted Murder.
The Booker Prize winner had worried for his safety since his 1989 novel The Satanic Verses was labelled blasphemous by many Muslims.
The book led to Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issuing a fatwa calling for his death and Sir Salman spent years in hiding.
He has travelled freely for the past 25 years, after Iran said it would not enforce the decree.
The trial is taking place as the 36th anniversary of the fatwa – 14 February – approaches.
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Jurors will be shown videos and photos of the attack, which ended when onlookers rushed Matar and held him until police arrived. It is unclear what Matar’s defence will be.
