In a tense courtroom in western New York, the trial of Hadi Matar, the man accused of attempting to murder renowned author Salman Rushdie, began with dramatic opening statements from prosecutors. They described in vivid detail how Matar’s vicious stabbing attack in August 2022 came perilously close to claiming the life of the 77-year-old literary icon.
Prosecutor Jason Schmidt told jurors that when Matar rushed the stage at the Chautauqua Institution’s arts festival and began stabbing Rushdie, he “came dangerously close to committing murder.” Schmidt painted a gruesome picture of Matar approaching in a “direct and rapid manner” and launching into his assault “without hesitation, deliberately, forcefully, efficiently and with speed.”
The ferocity of the attack left Rushdie grievously wounded, with severe injuries to his neck, face, and abdomen. He ultimately lost sight in one eye due to the assault. Doctors testified that the author was losing blood so rapidly when he arrived at the trauma center that he was in hemorrhagic shock. If not for the elite level-one care he received, they said, Rushdie would have certainly died from his wounds.
Defendant Denies “Open-and-Shut” Accusations
Matar, a 27-year-old Lebanese American from New Jersey, faces charges of attempted murder and assault with a maximum sentence of 25 years if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty, and his defense attorneys pushed back against the idea that this is a cut-and-dried case.
“Don’t believe him – it’s not that simple,” defense lawyer Lynn Schaffer told the court in response to the prosecution’s arguments. “Nothing is that simple in life.”
Schaffer acknowledged the severity of the attack on Rushdie, but argued that the prosecution still bears the burden of proving their specific accusations beyond a reasonable doubt. She urged jurors to look deeper than just the disturbing video of the assault itself.
Rushdie to Testify as Early as Tuesday
Salman Rushdie himself may take the witness stand as early as Tuesday, according to reports. In a recent interview about the attack, the author was defiant, saying he is proud of his provocative work like The Satanic Verses and feels no remorse.
“If anyone’s looking for remorse, you can stop reading right here,” he wrote in Knife, his reflection on the harrowing incident and its aftermath.
– Salman Rushdie, on his literary work
But Rushdie did express bewilderment at his own response in the moment, writing: “Why didn’t I fight? Why didn’t I run? I just stood there like a piñata and let him smash me. It didn’t feel dramatic, or particularly awful. It just felt probable … matter-of-fact.”
Defendant Claims He Only Read Two Pages of Rushdie’s Book
In an interview from jail after his arrest, Matar claimed to have only read two pages of the novel that sparked Iran’s notorious fatwa against Rushdie in 1989, calling for his death over alleged blasphemy against Islam. But Matar still felt Rushdie had “attacked Islam” with the book and stood by his actions.
The much-anticipated trial has drawn global media attention to the small town of Mayville, New York. As he was led into court on the first day, Matar shouted “Free Palestine,” though his exact motivations remain unclear.
The proceedings are expected to last several weeks, with the prosecution calling dozens of witnesses to testify about the attack and its impact. For his part, Salman Rushdie has vowed to continue writing and speaking out despite the ongoing threats and trauma.
“The struggle is not over, far from it,” he recently told an interviewer. “I may no longer be the man I was before…but I’m the same writer with the same thoughts, and my words are my weapon.”
