According to prosecutor Jason Schmidt, the then 24-year-old Hadi Matar – who the day before the attack had traveled by bus from Fairview in New Jersey – suddenly ran up the stairs to the stage at the amphitheater in the Chautauqua Institution in the state of New York. The assault took place in August 2022.
Salman Rushdie and moderator Henry Reese were so stunned that they initially remained seated in their chairs on stage.
Without hesitation, the perpetrator stabbed Mr. Rushdie, powerfully and effectively, again and again and again. He stabbed and cut Rushdie's head, throat, abdomen, thigh, and the hand he tried to protect himself with, says Schmidt.
Salman Rushdie eventually got up and ran away with the perpetrator after him before people nearby intervened and stopped the attack.
DENIES CRIME
Hadi Matar, now 27 years old, is charged with attempted murder and assault, but has denied the crime. When he was led into court on Monday, he calmly said "Free Palestine" and occasionally took notes during the prosecutor's presentation.
Matar's defense got a challenging start when his public defender Nathaniel Barone was unexpectedly hospitalized, which means he will miss the beginning of the trial.
The defense's request to postpone the trial was rejected by Judge David Foley, who ordered a colleague of Barone's to represent him.
LOST SIGHT
Assistant defender Lynn Schaffer told the jurors that the prosecutor would not be able to prove Matar's guilt even with the help of video recordings and photos, and that "the case is not as straightforward as the prosecutor claims".
British author Salman Rushdie, 77, is expected to testify later during the trial against Hadi Matar. For a time, the author hovered between life and death, lost sight in his right eye, and suffered permanent damage to his left hand. Henry Reese was also lightly injured in the face during the attack.
