Salman Rushdie Testifies in Court, Confronting Attacker Who Nearly Killed Him
Two and a half years after the assassination attempt that nearly ended his life, renowned author Salman Rushdie faced his attacker in court. The 77-year-old appeared in Chautauqua, New York, and recounted the harrowing events of August 2022.
"It was clear to me that I was going to die," Rushdie testified, according to US media reports. "And that was my major thought."
The author was brutally attacked onstage at an event in Chautauqua. He noticed the attacker’s "dark and fierce" eyes as he approached, Rushdie told the court the day after the trial began.
The assailant, Hadi Matar, an American from New Jersey, sat at the defense table in the courtroom but reportedly avoided eye contact with his victim.
Matar has pleaded not guilty. However, given the uncontested evidence from numerous witnesses and video footage of the attack, there is no dispute that he perpetrated the crime. His defense strategy appears to rest on casting doubt on whether he intended to commit premeditated murder. This could potentially result in a reduced sentence. Matar faces charges of second-degree attempted murder and assault, which carry a combined potential penalty of over 30 years in prison.
Rushdie initially thought he was being punched, but then realized "there was a lot of blood coming out of my clothing." The attacker repeatedly stabbed him in the face, neck, and right eye. "It was very painful and very dangerous," the author described. "I was shouting in pain."
The knife severed his optic nerve, leaving Rushdie blind in one eye and perpetually wearing glasses with a darkened lens. "That’s what’s left of it," he told the jury, lifting his prominent glasses. Behind them, his damaged eye appeared mostly closed, according to the New York Times.
Rushdie stated that the attacker stabbed him approximately 15 times. During the questioning, he pointed to the body parts that were injured: his face, his hand, his torso.
In shock and severe pain, Rushdie realized that people had tackled the attacker and pulled him away. "That’s why I survived, I think," Rushdie stated. The lasting effects extend beyond his impaired vision: "I’m not as strong as I used to be," he added. "I have less physical strength than I used to."
Rushdie has processed the incident in his book "Victory City: A Memoir," which was published in April 2024. However, his life has also been marked by previous threats: In 1989, then-Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for the author’s assassination over his novel "The Satanic Verses," which was deemed blasphemous.
