MAYVILLE, NY – A trial has commenced for the man accused of violently assaulting British author Salman Rushdie during a literary event in 2022, resulting in Rushdie being permanently blind in one eye.
Hadi Matar, the alleged attacker, pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault in the Chautauqua County Courthouse in Mayville, New York.
In August 2022, Rushdie was set to speak at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York when an individual rushed onto the stage and stabbed the author multiple times, causing severe injuries. The attack not only left Rushdie blind in one eye but also resulted in him losing sensation in two fingers on his left hand.
Following the incident, Matar was promptly arrested. Two years later, federal authorities accused him of collaborating with Hezbollah, a militant group in Lebanon backed by Iran and designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. A federal indictment alleged that Matar provided support to Hezbollah to carry out a fatwa issued by Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, in 1989, calling for Rushdie’s assassination.
The fatwa stemmed from the release of Rushdie’s novel “The Satanic Verses” in 1988, which was perceived as blasphemous by Ayatollah Khomeini for its portrayal of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. Rushdie lived in hiding for many years following the fatwa, with the Iranian government eventually distancing itself from supporting any assassination attempts on him after Ayatollah Khomeini’s death in 1998.
The indictment against Matar revealed that his actions were influenced in part by a speech from Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah in 2006, endorsing the fatwa against Rushdie. The ongoing trials encompass both the terrorism charges and the murder and assault charges against Matar. If convicted of the terrorism offenses alone, Matar could face a life sentence.
Last year, Rushdie released a memoir titled “Knife,” recounting his harrowing experience during the attack and the subsequent challenges he faced physically and emotionally. In an interview, Rushdie reflected on the moment of the assault, expressing a mix of shock and questioning the timing after so many years had passed.
As the trials proceed, the legal proceedings surrounding the attack on Rushdie continue to unfold, shedding light on the complexities of the case and the implications for both the accused and the renowned author.