The opening day of this high-profile trial has provided numerous moments of intrigue and tension.

Here's what happened in the courtroom in the past hour or so:

• Jordan Steves, the second witness to testify, described how he ran on the stage to tackle the attacker, adding that Rushdie was clearly injured and "there was a lot of blood"
• Steves also said the suspect in the courtroom was the same man who stabbed Rushdie
• The witness was then cross-examined by the defence team, before being dismissed
• The presiding judge later requested the court to reconvene on Tuesday morning for more witness testimony, marking the end of day one hearing
• One of those witnesses will be Sir Salman Rushdie, though it's uncertain when he will testify

If you'd like to hear more details about what the court heard earlier in the day - here are the main points.

We're now pausing our live coverage. Thanks for staying with us! You can still get all the latest developments in our main story.

In 1989, Sir Salman Rushdie published his novel The Satanic Verses.

The surrealist, post-modern novel was inspired by the life of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad. While it was met with acclaim and awards in the Western world, many Muslims considered it blasphemous and some countries even banned it.

Iran's religious leader soon issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie's death due to its contents.

That fatwa - a religious ruling concerning Islamic law - caused Rushdie to face countless death threats. He had to go into hiding for nine years and only began travelling again when Iran said it would not enforce the law.

Two weeks before the attack, the 77-year-old author had todl a German magazine that he was living a "relatively normal" life now that the threats had diminished.

This trial has started mere days before the anniversary of the fatwa, which was issued 14 February 1989.

Image source, Getty Images

While we heard from two witnesses so far, the district attorney - Jason Schmidt - is expected to call at least a dozen more people to the stand.

One of those witnesses will be Sir Salman Rushdie, the 77-year-old author of The Satanic Verses. It is uncertain when he will testify, but there is some speculation that it could be as soon as tomorrow.

Rushdie has shared his account of the attack in his memoir Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder, but his testimony in court is expected to draw much attention.

The celebrated writer was giving a talk on exiled writers and asylum in August 2022 when the suspect, Hadi Matar, allegedly attacked him with a knife, stabbing his left hand, neck and face. That last wound has left Rushdie partially blind.

Matar is charged with assault and attempted murder. He faces more than 30 years in prison if convicted.

Adam Durbin
Live editor

The trial is now in full swing, with two witnesses having shared their memories of Sir Salman Rushdie being viciously stabbed more than 10 times in August 2022.

The knife attack left the British-American author with devastating injuries, including the loss of his sight in one eye and a severely damaged hand.

As the day in a upstate New York courthouse unfolded, the prosecution has begun to build a picture of a chaotic few seconds in which the vicious attack ocurred. They described how the suspect allegedly approached the defenceless Rushdie from behind and stabbed him over and over again.

The first witness described hearing screams from the audience before seeing a significant amount of blood and people piling on top of the attacker to restrain him.

The second person to give evidence was one of those who intervened. The witness described seeing a man swinging his arms at Rushdie in a violent manner - before sprinting on stage to tackle him.

He later identified the suspect, 27-year-old Hadi Matar, as the attacker. Matar is being tried for attempted murder.

Meanwhile, the defence have looked to quiz witnesses over what exactly they saw or heard. In their opening they suggested police officers due to testify later lacked "neutrality".

The trial, which looks set to last as many as 10 days, continues - and we will be providing more coverage of key moments here.

Kasra Naji
Special Correspondent, BBC Persian TV

I was likely the first to alert Salman Rushdie, via his literary agent, about the death sentence – or fatwa - issued against him in Tehran on 14 February, 1989.

As a junior producer at BBC Persian in London, I monitored Tehran state radio’s daily news bulletin.

That morning, distracted by the realisation that I had left it too late to order Valentine’s Day flowers for my girlfriend, I was stunned by an announcement on Tehran radio, read by a male newsreader in a deathly serious tone: Ayatollah Khomeini had condemned Rushdie, along with his publishers and editors, to death. “I call on all Muslims to kill them without delay,” the fatwa declared.

I immediately called Rushdie’s agent, hoping for a reaction. He never responded and soon went into hiding.

There had been protests against The Satanic Verses, but Iran had been silent - until this moment. The clerical regime had sentenced thousands of Iranians, including writers, to death, but this was the first time such an order targeted a foreign author.

Iran gathered another credit point on its road to becoming a truly pariah state, isolated and condemned worldwide. In 1991, the book’s Japanese translator, Hitoshi Igarashi, was murdered. That same year, Italian translator Ettore Capriolo was stabbed but survived.

Iranian diplomats tried to downplay the fatwa, but clerics never revoked it. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, declared, “The fatwa is like an arrow released from a bow. It will sooner or later hit its target.”

That was our last witness for the day.

The judge has dismissed the jury and requested that court be reconvened tomorrow at 09:30 EST (14:30 GMT), where we're expected to hear from more witnesses.

The suspect, Hadi Matar, has just left the courtroom, marking and end to today's hearing.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Williams next asks Jordan Steves whether he ever gave testimony of what he saw that day to police.

Steves responds no and says that nobody had asked him to.

Williams then asks Steves if he has ever written about what had happened, in text messages to emails or through emails to colleagues.

The witness confirms that he has. Williams asks if police or prosecutors had asked for copies of that communication - and he responds that they have not.

The defence then concludes their questions.

Steves - the second witness in the case - is dismissed.

Nadine Yousif
North America reporter

James Williams with the defence team is now cross-examining Steves.

Williams asks how big the monitor through which Steves saw the attack unfold. Steves responds saying it was around 24 to 30 inches (51 to 76cm)

He is then asked what led him to believe that what he had witnessed was an attack.

“It was a violent interaction with one person swinging their arms at one of our on-stage guests,” Steves says, adding it was "a punching motion".

Steves also says the way Rushdie had reacted made him believe something was wrong.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Jordan Steves tells the jury he almost immediately lost sight of the alleged attacker after he intervened.

He adds that he saw that person being escorted away by law enforcement officers “moments later.”

Prosecutor Jason Schmidt asks him if the person he saw on stage is the suspect sitting today in the courtroom.

Steves responds by saying yes and pointing out Hadi Matar.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Steves says that on the day of the attack, he was on site backstage observing a monitor where the lecture was being live streamed.

He then describes what he witnessed when the attack unfolded. “I could see on the monitor the swinging of arms,” he says, referring to what the alleged attacker was doing.

He notes that the person he saw was “slender,” adding that it was “tough to tell size or height" because they were "wearing all dark clothing".

Steves says he knew that he needed to intervene - and he ran out directly to the stage.

He describes running as fast as he could to tackle the alleged attacker, saying he lowered his shoulder and pushed him down to disrupt what was happening.

Steves adds that he noticed Sir Salman Rushdie was clearly injured. “There was a lot of blood,” he says.

He says the whole thing - from the moment he noticed something amiss on the monitor, to him running on stage - unfolded in "less than 10 seconds".

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

The court has resumed after its break to hear from a second witness.

Jordan Steves has just being called to the stand by prosecutor Jason Schmidt.

He is another employee at the Chautauqua Institution, currently working as its the chair of education. Prior to that, he was the director of strategic communications.

Asked about how long he has been at the institution where the attack took place, Steves says he worked for there a total of 15 years.

If you're just joining us, here's a quick reminder of the main developments on the opening day of this high-profile trial in the New York state:

• Hadi Matar, 27, is accused of attacking renowned British-American author Sir Salman Rushdie in August 2022 at a book event in August 2022
• The suspect faces charges of attempted murder and assault - he has pleaded not guilty
• The attack left Rushdie, now 77, blind in one eye with damaged liver and a paralysed hand
• During Monday's opening statements, the prosecution said the suspect plunged a knife "without hesitation", nearly killing Rushdie
• The prosecution also said Rushdie was attacked from behind so suddenly he had no idea what was about to happen

• Matar's defence team said the prosecution wanted them to believe case was "already done"
• Lawyer's representing the accused also questioned the possible "neutrality" of key witnesses, including police officers
• The first witness to be called then described hearing a "commotion" during the attack, saying she wasn't sure whether it was "screaming or laughing"

Our colleague Nadine Yousif is in the Chautauqua County courthouse - so stay with us for all the latest updates.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Andrew Brautigam with the defence team asks Deborah Sunya Moore how many times she met with the District Attorney’s office - the prosecutors in the case - ahead of her testimony.

She responds that she met with them two times.

He follows up by asking: "How many times did you review footage with the DA’s office?”

Moore responds by saying she saw some videos the first time she met with them, who then asked her if the footage matches up with what she had seen.

She adds she saw more video evidence this morning.

Brautigam then says he has nothing further, and concludes his cross-examination.

Moore, the first witness, is now dismissed. The judge has called for a 20-minute recess.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Moore is now being cross-examined by the defence.

Andrew Brautigam, a member of Hadi Matar’s team, asks Moore about her duties at the Chautauqua Institution, including how many members of staff she oversees.

He also asks her about her duties on the day Sir Salman Rushdie was due to speak.

Moore responds by saying that she was in touch with various crew members via her cell-phone, who were helping set up the stage and other details ahead of Rushdie’s arrival. Meanwhile, she was greeting audience members who were arriving at the gates.

She confirms she had her back to the stage when the commotion she described earlier began.

“So you didn’t see with your own eyes anybody who wasn’t supposed to be on stage go up on the stage, correct?” Brautigam asks.

“Not until I heard the commotion,” Moore answers.

Video footage posted online in the wake of the attack showed the moments after the Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie was stabbed on stage at an event in New York state.

Several people rushed on stage after the attack to assist the writer, including a doctor that administered first aid.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Deborah Sunya Moore testifies that she got a look at the man who was being restrained on stage.

She describes him as “not particularly tall”, with dark, short hair, dark eyes” and dark eyebrows.

Moore adds that she remembers him wearing dark clothes from head to toe, with the exception of a camouflage shirt the man had been wearing.

At some points during her testimony, prosecutor Jason Schmidt passes around copies of exhibits to the witness and the defence - in this case photos of the amphitheatre on that day in August 2022 after the attack.

When handed the photos, suspect Hadi Matar leans in to take a good look with his attorneys.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Moore is still testifying. She describes what unfolded from her point of view as she turned her head to the stage.

At that point, she says she was standing right beside the platform on the floor.

“I could see blood," Moore tells the court, adding that she could see people piling on top of the attacker.

“I could see that our audience, many of whom are elderly, were screaming,” Moore says. “Many were rushing to the stage, many were starting to move away.”

She adds that some of the people on stage were doctors that she recognised from the community. She saw people tending to Salman Rushdie, who was lying on the ground.

She also saw others who were trying to restrain another man on the ground.

Moore testifies that at one point, she was handed a knife by the Institution’s reverend who was also on the stage.

“It was a dark knife. The blade looked about the same size as the handle,” she says, describing a knife with a blade of about four inches (10cm).

Soutik Biswas
India Correspondent

Over the past three decades, Salman Rushdie’s view of India has grown increasingly disillusioned.

Rushdie was born in the city of Mumbai (then known as Bombay) two months before India gained independence from the British in 1947 and the former colony was divided into India and Pakistan.

In 1997, writing in Time magazine on India’s 50th anniversary, he spoke of its vast inclusivity:

By May 2022, however, his tone had darkened. Speaking at an international gathering of writers at the UN, he warned: “We are engaged in a world war of stories – a war between incompatible versions of reality – and we need to learn how to fight it.”

Referring to India, he said: “Religious sectarianism and political authoritarianism go hand in hand, and violence grows as democracy dies.”

Rushdie also lamented the resurgence of distorted historical narratives:

“Once again, false narratives of Indian history are in play, narratives that privilege the majority and oppress minorities; and these narratives, let it be said, are popular…”

Many believe Rushdie’s shift in perspective - from celebrating India’s diversity to mourning its democratic decline - reflects his deepening disillusionment over the decades.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Deborah Sunya Moore resumes her testimony by saying she had her back turned to the stage when the introductions were given. That is where she described hearing a "commotion".

"The amphitheatre became full of sound, and in the first seconds I heard it I wasn’t sure if it was screaming or laughing or both," she says.

She then turned her attention to the direction of the stage, where Moore says she saw "many people were standing and lots of people were starting to stand up".

Another thing she immediately noticed, she says, was that neither Rushdie nor Henry Reese, his co-speaker, were in their seats "where they were supposed to be".

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Suspect Hadi Matar has re-entered the courtroom, as has the jury and Judge David Foley.

Court proceedings are set to resume shortly, with witness Deborah Sunya Moore from the Chautauqua Institution taking the stand once again to give evidence.

As a reminder there are no cameras in court, but stay with us here and I'll keep you updated