Salman Rushdie attack trial begins: Key suspect faces attempted murder charges

A 27-year-old Lebanese-American man, Hadi Matar, faces trial Monday for the violent assault on acclaimed author Salman Rushdie during a literary event in western New York. The prosecution will present evidence of how Matar allegedly planned and executed the attack that left Rushdie permanently blind in one eye.

The August 12, 2022 incident occurred during Rushdie's speaking engagement at an arts gathering, where Matar allegedly stabbed the author approximately 10 times. The attack came decades after Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa in 1989 calling for Rushdie's death, following the publication of "The Satanic Verses" in 1988, which was deemed blasphemous.

In a post-attack interview with the New York Post, Matar claimed to have read only two pages of the controversial novel but stated he believed Rushdie had "attacked Islam." The FBI has noted Hezbollah's endorsement of the original fatwa.

The trial, taking place in Chautauqua County Court in Mayville, has drawn international media attention. Matar, who has pleaded not guilty, faces both attempted murder charges in this trial and separate terror-related charges in federal court. Sources indicate prosecutors will concentrate on the attack's physical evidence and eyewitness accounts rather than exploring ideological motivations.

Rushdie, now 77, recently published "Knife," a memoir detailing his near-death experience. In it, he reflects on the attack's suddenness and his reaction: "Why didn't I fight? Why didn't I run? I just stood there like a pinata and let him smash me." Despite the trauma, Rushdie maintains his pride in "The Satanic Verses," stating firmly that those seeking remorse "can stop reading right here."

The author revealed he had been reluctant to attend the event where the attack occurred. In a CBS interview, he shared that just two days prior, he had dreamed of being attacked by a gladiator in a Roman amphitheater, a premonition he had dismissed as merely a dream.

While Iranian authorities have denied any connection to the attacker, they maintain that Rushdie bears sole responsibility for the incident. Before the attack, Rushdie had lived a relatively normal life in New York for two decades, following an initial period of seclusion in London after the fatwa was issued.