Salman Rushdie takes the stand in trial for his nearly fatal stabbing

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MAYVILLE, N.Y. – In a clear and steady voice, the right lens of his eyeglasses blacked out to cover a blinded eye, renowned author Salman Rushdie testified at the trial of his alleged attacker on Tuesday, describing the life-threatening and permanent injuries he endured when he was repeatedly stabbed at a public appearance 2½ years ago.

Rushdie was the first witness called on Tuesday by Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt at the trial of Hadi Matar, 27, of Fairview, New Jersey, who faces charges of attempted murder and assault.

“I only saw him at the last minute,” said Rushdie, 77, of his assailant during testimony that lasted approximately one hour. “I was aware of somebody wearing black clothes – very dark clothes, anyway – and a black covid face mask. I was very struck by his eyes, which were very dark.”

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In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Rushdie said he experienced “a sense of great pain and shock, and the awareness of the fact that there was an enormous quantity of blood I was lying in – my blood.”

“It occurred to me quite clearly that I was dying,” he said. “That was my predominant thought.”

The case has raised issues regarding terrorism and the freedom of expression and religion, and it has drawn international attention to this small town in far Western New York. On Tuesday, dozens of media members filled the first two rows of the gallery in the courthouse, where, outside, snow was piled high along North Erie Street.

Rushdie’s wife, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, was in attendance, accompanied by author and journalist Bill Buford, a friend of Rushdie’s. Because of public interest and Rushdie’s celebrity, there has been added security staff at the courthouse.

A spokesperson for the New York State Police confirmed that Rushdie will have a security detail for the duration of his attendance at the trial but would not provide additional details “due to the sensitivity of this situation.”

Tuesday was the second day of witness testimony. The day began with Matar, who has pleaded not guilty, entering the courtroom in a blue button-up shirt and dark pants. Before the judge and jury had entered the courtroom, Matar said aloud: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Matar, who was born in the United States but holds dual citizenship in Lebanon and identifies as Muslim, has been held without bail in the Chautauqua County Jail since August 2022. On the morning of Aug. 12, 2022, Rushdie was scheduled to speak in an amphitheater at the Chautauqua Institution, an artists colony just a few miles from the courthouse.

During his opening statement on Monday, Schmidt described how Rushdie was seated onstage with Henry Reese, co-founder of City of Asylum, a grassroots Pittsburgh-based organization that supports international writers under threat. The two had just begun talking about safe havens for authors when Schmidt alleged that Matar stormed the stage and “plunged a knife into Mr. Rushdie over and over and over and over again.”

He described a chaotic scene in which Reese came to Rushdie’s aid and was sliced above his eye. Reese and others subdued Matar, Schmidt said, until police took him into custody.

From the witness stand on Tuesday, Rushdie described in detail being attacked while seated onstage, rising to his feet to escape, then collapsing on his side, having been stabbed more than a dozen times.

“I thought he was hitting me with his fist,” Rushdie said. “Very soon afterwards, I saw a large quantity of blood pouring out onto my clothes.”

Rushdie suffered a stab wound to his right eye that severed the optic nerve. Tendons and nerves in his left hand were damaged. He was slashed across the neck and waist, and he was stabbed multiple times in the chest.

He described undergoing lifesaving surgery at UPMC Hamot, a hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania. He spent 17 days recovering at the hospital, followed by more than three weeks of inpatient rehabilitation in New York City.

Matar appeared to listen intently as Rushdie described the attack and his injuries, seldom looking up. Poised with a pen, he occasionally scribbled on a piece of paper.

On cross-examination by public defender Lynn Schaffer, Rushdie admitted that trauma could create false memories of the attack, including a sequence in which he incorrectly recalled having stood to face his attacker.

Rushdie, who won a Booker Prize in 1981 for his novel “Midnight’s Children,” has recovered sufficiently from his injuries to make public appearances, including headlining international literary events.

In 1988, Rushdie published “The Satanic Verses,” a novel that some Muslims considered blasphemous for its depiction of parts of the Prophet Muhammad’s life. In 1989, Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death. Rushdie lived in hiding in the United Kingdom for many years after that, but by 2000 had moved to New York City, where he lived openly.

Schmidt has said he will not raise the issue of the fatwa or Islamic terrorism during the trial. Matar will face federal terrorism charges in a later trial.

In July, Matar rejected an offer from prosecutors that would have resulted in a 20-year prison sentence in exchange for pleading guilty to attempted murder on the state charges. However, he would also have been required to plead guilty to a federal charge of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization, which could result in an additional 20-year sentence.

If convicted of the state charge of attempted murder, Matar faces a sentence of up to 25 years.

On Monday, jurors also heard from two eyewitnesses who were working at the Chautauqua Institution on the day of the attack.

On Tuesday afternoon, Chautauqua County Sheriff Deputy Jason Beichner testified of a “very chaotic” scene on the day of the attack.

The court will be closed Wednesday, in observance of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. The trial will resume Thursday.

Schmidt said he expects to present evidence for up two weeks. Reese and Rushdie’s son, Zafar, are expected to testify, along with doctors who treated Rushdie.

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