Suspect in Salman Rushdie knife attack goes on trial in upstate New York

Prosecutors in the trial of the man accused of attacking Salman Rushdie told jurors Monday that the author came “dangerously close” to dying in a frenzied assault that left him blind in one eye.

Hadi Matar, a 27-year-old Lebanese-American who said “free Palestine” as he entered court, is charged with attempted murder and assault over the August 12, 2022 attack at an arts event in western New York state.

Matar is accused of stabbing Rushdie about 10 times with a knife, leaving him in grave condition and without sight in his right eye, and also slashing another speaker at the gathering.

Prosecutor District Attorney Jason Schmidt told how Rushdie, who has faced death threats since the release of his 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses,” had just taken his seat in the amphitheater in front of about 1,000 people.

“A young medium-build man wearing a dark colored facemask… appeared from the rear of the theater,” Schmidt said. “Once on the stage, he rapidly accelerated into a full-out run.”

Read more: France 24