Key facts
- Salman Rushdie testified at the federal terrorism trial of Hadi Matar.
- Rushdie described the 2022 stabbing, stating he initially thought he was punched.
- Prosecutors claim Matar was motivated by a 1989 fatwa for Rushdie's death.
- Matar faces federal charges including transnational terrorism.
- Matar's defense attorneys argued prosecutors cannot prove his intent or mindset.
Four years after being stabbed on stage, author Salman Rushdie testified Thursday at the federal terrorism trial of Hadi Matar, the man convicted of the attack. Rushdie described the ambush, recounting how he initially felt what he thought was a punch before realizing he was being stabbed and later found himself on the ground with a large pool of blood around him.
Prosecutors allege Matar was acting on a 1989 call for Rushdie's death by Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini due to his novel "The Satanic Verses." Rushdie, 79, testified calmly for over an hour, detailing the injuries that blinded him in one eye, damaged his liver, and severed nerves in his arm, as well as his subsequent recovery.
Matar, 28, who is already serving a 25-year state prison sentence for attempted murder, faces federal charges including transnational terrorism. His attorneys have argued that prosecutors cannot prove his intent or mindset at the time of the attack. When asked by the defense if he believed Matar had ties to terrorism, Rushdie stated, "I had no knowledge, but I had my suspicions."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Lynch stated that Matar researched Rushdie starting in 2020 and wrote that "We need to kill him ASAP," casting the killing as part of a jihad. Evidence presented included photos and materials found on Matar's electronics showing regard for Hezbollah, a designated terrorist organization, and a fake driver's license with a name similar to a Hezbollah figure. Matar, a U.S. and Lebanese citizen, may testify in the federal trial, according to his lawyer.