Salman Rushdie trial: Trial witness identifies stabbing suspect as being responsible

Summary

The trial of a man accused of stabbing British-American author Sir Salman Rushdie, leaving him blind in one eye and nearly killing him, has begun to hear from witnesses
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 guilty
Opening their case earlier, the prosecution told the court he was attacked from behind so suddenly he had no idea what was about to happen
But Matar's defence team questioned the "neutrality" of police officers due to give evidence later - and the "assumptions" they make about the alleged attacker
The first witness called by prosecutors told the court she heard screams, saw blood and people from the audience piling on the alleged attacker
The second witness, one of the people who intervened and tackled the attacker, identified Matar as being responsible in court
Rushdie 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 life

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Rushdie reveals extent of his wounds from knife attack

Live Reporting

Edited by Adam Durbin in Washington DC, with Nadine Yousif reporting from court

Accused attacker also alleged to have provided 'material support' to Hezbollahpublished at 13:13 Greenwich Mean Time 10 February
Image source, Getty Images
Rushdie's alleged attacker Hadi Matar is facing additional charges.
He has also been charged by a federal court with providing material support to the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah, according to an indictment unsealed last July.
The indictment said Matar attempted to provide "material support and resources" to the group knowing it was a terrorist organisation. The document did not detail what evidence connected him to the group.
Matar's lawyer Nathaniel Barone told the BBC in July that he plans to challenge those charges against his client. "We plan on zealously and feverishly defending him on these matters", he said at the time.
Barone added that his client maintains his innocence on all the charges brought against him.
Hezbollah is designated a terrorist organisation by Western states, Israel, Gulf Arab countries and the Arab League.
What happened the day Rushdie was attackedpublished at 12:55 Greenwich Mean Time 10 February
On 22 August 2022, a man rushed on stage and attacked Salman Rushdie ahead of an event at the Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York.
Here's a look at what happened that day.
- New York State Police said a man ran up onto the stage and attacked Rushdie
- Police detained a suspect, Hadi Matar, 24, from Fairview, New Jersey after the attack
- Rushdie was stabbed in the eye, neck, abdomen and arm - among other places. He was struck at least a dozen times
- The interviewer who was also on stage, Henry Reese, suffered a minor head injury and was taken to a local hospital
- Audience members rushed the attacker and took him to the ground before he was arrested by police
- A doctor in the audience gave Rushdie first aid
- Rushdie was taken to hospital in a helicopter and had surgery for his injuries
A quick look at the five-decade career of author Salman Rushdiepublished at 12:55 Greenwich Mean Time 10 February
Image source, Reuters
The Indian-born British-American author, 77, is one of the most influential writers of modern times.
Rushdie's literary career has spanned five decades, and his second novel, Midnight's Children, picked up the illustrious Booker Prize in 1981.
A prolific writer, Rushdie's later books include a novel for children, Haroun and the Sea of Stories (1990), a book of essays called Imaginary Homelands (1991), and the novels East, West (1994), The Moor's Last Sigh (1995), The Ground Beneath Her Feet (1999), and Fury (2001).
In the last two decades he has published Shalimar the Clown, The Enchantress of Florence, Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights, The Golden House and Quichotte.
The author has been married four times, and has two children. He now lives in the US, and was knighted in 2007 by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to literature.
- Salman Rushdie: The writer who emerged from hiding
Twice-delayed Rushdie trial will open today in New Yorkpublished at 12:54 Greenwich Mean Time 10 February
Adam Durbin
Live editor
The trial of a man accused of attacking author Salman Rushdie will begin in a New York court this morning.
Hadi Matar allegedly sprinted on stage at an event in upstate New York in August 2022 and stabbed the acclaimed British-American writer at least 10 times.
Rushdie was blinded in one eye and has a paralysed hand and liver damage following the incident. He was rushed to hospital by helicopter and spent six weeks recovering.
Matar is due to face trial after pleading not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault. Today, we're set to hear the opening statements from both the defence and the prosecution.
Rushdie has faced threats for years following the publication of his fourth novel, The Satanic Verses, in 1988 because of its depiction of the Prophet Muhammed. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa - or decree - calling for the novelist's assassination the following year. Rushdie faced death threats and was placed under police protection by the British government.
Rushdie may give evidence later in the trial, but has expressed reservations in the past about facing his alleged attacker.
My colleague Nadine Yousif will be in court to bring you all the key moments. There won't be cameras in the room - but you can follow this feed for updates and analysis about the trial.