Salman Rushdie, a British-Indian writer, testified on Tuesday in Hadi Matar’s trial. Matar is accused of stabbing Rushdie in 2022 at a literary event at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York.
After being restrained by onlookers, Matar was taken into custody. He entered a not guilty plea to charges of assault and attempted murder.
During his hour-long speech, Rushdie vividly detailed the assault.
Rushdie remembered that the ceremony had hardly started when he saw a figure running from the right toward him.
He said, “I only saw him at the last minute.” “I saw someone with a black face mask and dark clothing. His eyes really caught my attention; they were black and appeared fierce.
The assault was vicious and quick. “He hit me really hard at first,” Rushdie recalled. “I noticed a lot of blood spilling down my clothing, but I believed he was beating me with his fist. He kept beating me. Slashing and hitting.
Rushdie was hit many times in the waist, torso, and chest while attempting to flee. He said, “I was attempting to stand up, leave the chair, and flee.”
“I believed I was going to die.”
Rushdie recounted the sight of blood and the excruciating anguish as he lay on the stage.
My chest and body were struck many times. He claimed, “I had three stab wounds down the middle of my chest.” He remembered an eye wound that was very severe, after which he yelled and lost his eyesight.
I realized that I was going to die. That was my main idea.
Lynn Shaffer, Matar’s defense attorney, asked Rushdie about his memories of the assault.
“I believe you said you are a writer?” she asked lightly at the beginning.
Later, Shaffer said that Bridget Jones’s Diary, which had a cameo by Rushdie, was her favorite film. “I am surprised,” he remarked. My most significant effort was that.
She also inquired as to whether trauma may affect memory. Rushdie said that as the assailant came near, he thought he had gotten to his feet. He adamantly replied, “I wasn’t counting at the time,” when asked how many times he had been stabbed. Although I was otherwise busy, I later saw them on my body.
Rushdie was hospitalized for 17 days and rehabilitated for weeks. He acknowledged that he is still not quite well.
He said, “I don’t think I’m at 100%.” “I believe I’ve made significant progress, but it’s probably between 75 and 80 percent.” I don’t have the same level of energy as before. I’ve lost some of my physical strength.
