Salman Rushdie trial: Trial witness identifies stabbing suspect as being responsible – BBC.com
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A New York court has heard testimony from Sir Salman Rushdie in the trial of the man accused of stabbing the British-American author and leaving him blind in one eyeWarning: This page contains distressing details”Initially, I thought he had punched me,” Rushdie told the court, before “I saw a really quite large quantity of blood”Hadi Matar, 27, is accused of attacking the author in August 2022 at a book event in a small upstate New York town – he has pleaded not guiltyOpening their case on Monday, the prosecution said Rushdie was attacked from behind so suddenly he had no idea what was about to happenBut Matar’s defence team questioned the “neutrality” of police officers due to give evidence – and the “assumptions” they make about the alleged attackerRushdie previously spent several years in hiding after the publishing of The Satanic Verses – a fictional story inspired by the life of the Prophet Muhammad – which led to threats against his lifeThis video can not be playedRushdie reveals extent of his wounds from knife attackEdited by Caitlin Wilson, with Nadine Yousif, Nomia Iqbal and Nada Tawfik reporting from court in New York – warning, this page contains distressing detailsNadine YousifReporting from courtRushdie in the Hay Festival in Cartagena, Colombia, in JanuarySir Salman Rushdie was
by far the most highly-anticipated witness for this trial.More members of the
media had packed the courtroom than the previous day in anticipation of his
testimony. His wife, Lady Rushdie, was also seated in the second row, wearing a
black suit.That was to be expected as
he is the subject of the attack at the centre of this case.Prosecutors focused
Rushdie’s testimony on the chronology of that day, when he took the stage at
Chautauqua Institution, as well as the extent of the injuries he
suffered. The author’s
recollection of the events was vivid at times. He described seeing a person
wearing dark clothing rushing at him from his right, and the attack unfolded
within seconds after that. He said his attacker was “stabbing and slashing” him repeatedly, for a total of 15 times. At one point, Rushdie
said he thought he was dying, and described laying on the stage in “a lake
of blood” – his own blood. He also recalled the
help he received from bystanders on stage, saying that without them he would
not have been alive. Rushdie faced the jury
repeatedly to show them his injuries, including taking off his glasses to show
his severed right eye, which has been left permanently blind from the
attack. Afterwards, lawyers for
suspect Hadi Matar focused their cross-examination on how clear the author’s memory
of that day was. They also asked whether Rushdie had ever been in contact with
Matar, whether it be through letters or emails. The author replied that he had
not.Matar was seated with
his defence team at Rushdie’s far right. Neither Rushdie nor Matar looked at
each other during his testimony, with Matar often looking down.We’ll be closing our live page shortly – thank you for joining us.As we’ve been reporting this morning, Salman Rushdie has given evidence in the trial of Hadi Matar, who stands accused of an attack that left the author blinded in one eye. Matar has pleaded not guilty to the charges of attempted murder and assault.Here’s an overview of all the jury heard from Rushdie today: Our reporters in court noted that the accused and Rushdie did not appear to look at each other during the session. The defence team have sought to outline to the jury that this case is not a “done deal” and have questioned the neutrality of the police. Rushdie has concluded his evidence and the court has paused for a lunch break. We’ll have more context and background with you shortly. Nadine YousifReporting from courtHadi Matar’s lawyer,
Lynn Schaffer, asks if Sir Salman Rushdie was aware of the suspect prior to the
attack, or had been in contact with him in any way. Rushdie responds: “No,
not at all.””Any letters from him?” she asks. “No,” he says. She then asks if he
heard the attacker say anything during the incident. “Did you hear him say
anything directly to you?” she asks.”I did not,” Rushdie responds. Schaffer then concluded
her questioning. Rushdie has been dismissed, and court is on break for
lunch. Nadine YousifReporting from courtLynn Schaffer, the
suspect’s lawyer, then starts questioning Sir Salman Rushdie on his state of consciousness after the attack, and whether he was aware of what was happening around him.Rushdie says that he started
regaining awareness of time as soon as the anaesthesia wore off the day after
the attack, on 13 August 2022.
Schaffer asks Rushdie if he believes trauma could impact memory. “Is it
possible that what you remember could be both memory and a mix of what someone
else told you?” she says. Rushdie responds by
saying he has had some false memories about the attack, bringing up an example
that he thought he had stood up to face the attacker initially, but realised
later: “That’s not actually true, I was sitting down.”Schaffer then asks
Rushdie about his earlier testimony that he had been struck 15 times. “Did you
remember 15 times, or did you receive that information as part of your medical
care?” Rushdie responds: “Afterwards, I could see them on my body. I didn’t need to be told by anybody.”Nadine YousifReporting from courtSir Salman Rushdie is
back on the stand. He is now being cross-examined by defence lawyers. Lynn Schaffer, the
defence lawyer, starts by asking Rushdie how many books he has written, and
whether he has been knighted and has won numerous literary awards.He responds yes to all those questions.
She also asks him about his writing process, and whether he writes by pen and
paper or by laptop. Rushdie responds by saying he usually works on a
computer. Schaffer then asks
Rushdie if he believes in the importance of freedom of expression. “Very much so, yes,” the
author responds.She then asks if he
believes the right to counsel and a fair trial is a “fundamental human
right”. He responds yes.Nomia IqbalNorth America correspondent, reporting from courtSir Salman was accompanied by security as he arrived at the courthouse today. An understandable U-turn from the way he had been living his life before the attack. I interviewed him for a BBC radio show in October 2017 at a book festival, where he was accompanied by his son and agent. He told me at the time that he felt having a security detail wasn’t as necessary anymore and he wanted to live a more normal life. Two weeks before the attack he told a German newspaper something similar, adding that the threats against him had diminished. Since 1989, Rushdie had police protection due to the fatwa against him, moving between safe houses and travelling with a security detail. In the aftermath of the stabbing, questions were raised about security at the event at Chautauqua Institute – metal detectors were soon introduced at the venue for some occasions.Rushdie’s alleged attacker had bought a ticket and got into the event like everybody else – his defence is using this to make the argument that Matar’s intent cannot be proven beyond reasonable doubt.The court has just resumed – Rushdie’s family are back in court too. The author will be cross-examined by Matar’s defence team during this next session. Stick with us.This morning we’ve been reporting on the trial of Hadi Matar who stands accused of attacking British-American author Sir Salman Rushdie. In the clip below you can watch the moment he entered the courtroom today.This video can not be playedWatch: Hadi Matar arrives at second day of trialNadine YousifReporting from courtThe court is now taking a short recess.
Sir Salman was escorted away by sheriffs. He was followed by his wife,
Lady Rushdie, who had been seated in the second row of the court room to listen
to his testimony. Stay with us.Nadine YousifReporting from courtSir Salman is asked to describe how he felt after he regained consciousness in hospital. He states he had been in hospital for 17 days, and that he had lost enormous amounts of blood which
left him “extremely weak”.Rushdie adds that he
initially “wasn’t able to sit up and walk”. His right eye was also
badly damaged, he continues, and he had lost vision from that eye. Rushdie also describes
having to undergo six to seven months of hand therapy to recover from the wound
he suffered on his left hand.He adds there was
lasting damage to his mouth area due to nerve paralysis caused by the injuries. “That affects speech somewhat, I find that I have to work harder to pronounce
things properly.”At one point in the
questioning, the defence objects, saying that some questions about his health
are not relevant to the events of the day of the attack. The judge overrules the
objection, stating that it can be argued that the extent of Rushdie’s injuries is
relevant to the trial.Nomia IqbalNorth America correspondent, reporting from courtAs Sir Salman gives evidence, the man accused of attempting to kill him sits yards away. Hadi Matar, 27, is wearing a blue shirt and is hunched at the table writing notes occasionally. Both men do not appear to look at each other. At times the defence have objected to elements of Rushdie’s testimony where they feel it may be overly speculative. Whilst the defence have acknowledged this is not a ‘whodunit’ case, they have told the jury this case is not a ‘done deal’ and are aiming to sow some doubt in their minds. They have questioned the neutrality of the police and the “assumptions” they made about the alleged attacker.Nadine YousifReporting from court”It occurred to me quite clearly that I was dying – that was my predominant
thought,” Rushdie now tells the jury. He describes
one person who was administering first aid on him, and holding his legs up in
the air so blood could flow back to his heart. He says his clothes were slashed so
they could see where the blood was coming from. He was then put quickly into a helicopter that was waiting nearby, he says, which flew him
to a trauma hospital. It was
when the helicopter landed that he had lost consciousness, Rushdie continues, adding he regained
it later that evening. He had “various tubes
connected all over my body and I was on a ventilator.””By then, my wife and
members of her family had arrived, and were also in the room,” he remembers.Nadine YousifReporting from courtSir Salman Rushdie continues to describe what happened on the day of the attack. He says that Henry
Reese, the moderator for the event, ran across the stage and tackled the
individual that was attacking him. Members of the audience also came up on
stage to help. Rushdie says he was
laying on the ground at that point, but was aware of some things happening
around him. “I was aware of a small
pile of people to my right, essentially subduing the attacker,” he says. “And
thanks to that, I survived.”Rushdie also describes
that he felt an “enormous amount of blood” beneath him. “A lake of blood, which
was really my own blood,” he says.Nada TawfikReporting from courtWhile giving evidence, Rushdie describes for the jury dropping to the ground with a sense of great pain and shock. He remembers seeing a “lake of blood, which was clearly my own blood”. “To me I was essentially bleeding very badly. It occurred to me quite clearly that I was dying – that was my predominate thought.”Nadine YousifReporting from courtProsecutor Jason Schmidt
is asking Sir Salman to describe what happened next, as well as the
extent of his injuries. Rushdie recalls that at one point, he
had put his hand up in self-defence, and was then stabbed there as well. “He
severed all the tendons of the hands and most of the nerves,” he says, holding
up his left hand.He adds he was struck a
number more times around his chest and torso, saying there were a “mixture of
stab wounds and slash wounds.”Rushdie adds he started
trying to stand up to get away, but he immediately fell to the floor. “I was very badly
injured,” he says, adding that when he stood up was when he was being stabbed
in the chest and torso. Rushdie says the attack
unfolded in a matter of seconds.Nadine YousifReporting from courtSir Salman Rushdie
continues his testimony, saying: “At that point he was hitting me repeatedly,
stabbing and slashing.”Rushdie says he was
still sitting down when he was first hit. Hadi Matar, the suspect present here in the courtroom,
has mostly looked down while Rushdie recalls the attack. Rushdie describes that
he felt pain immediately. “Everything happened very quickly.”He then recalls the stab
to his eye, saying it was the most painful. He takes off his glasses, which
conceal his right eye with a dark lens, to show the jury his injuries. “As you can see, that is
what is left of it,” he says. “There’s no vision in this eye at all.”Nadine YousifReporting from courtSir Salman Rushdie now tells the court more about the day that he was attacked, saying that he was seated while the lecture was being introduced. He continues to describe how
the attack unfolded. “I was aware of this
person rushing at me from my right hand side,” he says, adding: “I only saw him
at the last minute.” Rushdie describes the
person rushing at him as dark haired, wearing black clothes and a face
mask. He adds that the first
hit he felt was to his right jaw and neck. “Initially, I thought he had punched
me,” Rushdie says. “Very soon afterwards, I
saw a really quite large quantity of blood pouring onto my clothes,” he
continues.Nadine YousifReporting from courtSir Salman Rushdie has
taken the stand to begin testifying. Prosecutor Jason Schmidt
starts by asking Rushdie about the event he was set to participate in at the
Chautauqua Institution on the day of the attack, 12 August 2022. Rushdie explains that he
had agreed to take part in the lecture about six months earlier. He says he arrived in
Chautauqua County a day earlier, and was staying at a guesthouse on the
Institution’s grounds. Hadi Matar, the suspect,
looks down at times while Rushdie gives his testimony. At other times, he is
looking directly at the members of the jury. Salman Rushdie has taken the stand to testify at trial.Welcome back to our ongoing coverage of the trial of Hadi Matar who is facing accusations of stabbing British-American author Sir Salman Rushdie.The attack left Rushdie blinded in one eye – with Matar subsequently charged with assault and attempted murder.The trial opened yesterday when the court heard from two witnesses.Rushdie himself is expected to be one of more than a dozen others who will be called to the stand by the district attorney.Stick with us as we bring you all the coverage from court. Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.