Sir Salman Rushdie told a New York state court that he thought he was dying after being stabbed repeatedly on stage in 2022, an attack that left him blind in one eye.
The 77-year-old British-Indian author was the first witness at the trial of his alleged attacker, 27-year-old Hadi Matar, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of assault and attempted murder.
The attack occurred on 12 August 2022 at the prestigious Chautauqua Institution, where Sir Salman was about to speak on how the United States serves as a haven for exiled writers.
He had spent years in hiding following death threats over his 1988 novel, The Satanic Verses, which was condemned by some Muslims as blasphemous.
Sir Salman told the jury that as he sat on stage waiting to begin his speech, he noticed a person rushing at him from his right side.
The attacker was dressed in dark clothes and a face mask, and Sir Salman was struck by his “dark, ferocious eyes.”
“I felt the first blow to my jaw and neck and initially thought I had been punched,” he said. Moments later, blood began pouring onto his clothes.
“At that point, he was hitting me repeatedly, stabbing and slashing. It happened in just a few seconds.”
The author described being stabbed 15 times, suffering wounds to his eye, cheek, neck, chest, torso, thigh, and left hand as he tried to defend himself.
The knife wound to his right eye was the most painful, leaving him completely blind in that eye.
Removing his glasses to show the jury, he said, “As you can see, that is what is left of it. There’s no vision in the eye at all.”
His wife, Lady Rushdie, wept as he recounted the attack, while Mr Matar sat with his head down, never making eye contact with Sir Salman.
The author said he felt like he was lying in “a lake of blood” and believed he was about to die.
“It occurred to me quite clearly that I was dying – that was my predominant thought,” he told the court. He credited bystanders, including audience members, with subduing the attacker and saving his life.
Sir Salman was airlifted to a trauma center, where he underwent treatment for 17 days.
The suspect’s lawyer, Lynn Schaffer, cross-examined Sir Salman, questioning whether his trauma might have affected his recollection of events.
Sir Salman acknowledged that trauma can alter memory but insisted he was certain about the details. “I didn’t need to be told by anybody,” he said.
When asked if he had any prior contact with the suspect, Sir Salman denied it, adding that the attacker said nothing during the assault.
In the coming days, more witnesses are expected to testify, including the surgeon who treated Sir Salman and the law enforcement officers who responded to the attack.
Also read: Jacob Arabo Net Worth
