Author Salman Rushdie testifies at terrorism trial of man convicted of stabbing him
Summary
Author Salman Rushdie testified in a federal terrorism trial about the 2022 attack where he was stabbed fifteen times on stage. The attacker, Hadi Matar, is accused of carrying out the stabbing as an act of terrorism linked to an old death threat from Iran's former leader.Key Facts
- Salman Rushdie was stabbed on stage in Buffalo, New York, in 2022 while preparing to speak.
- The attacker, Hadi Matar, was convicted on a state attempted murder charge and faces federal terrorism charges.
- Rushdie testified he was stabbed fifteen times, blinding his right eye and seriously injuring other parts of his body.
- Prosecutors say Matar acted on a 1989 death order (fatwa) from Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini calling for Rushdie’s death over his book "The Satanic Verses."
- Rushdie described the knife coming very close to his brain and detailed his long recovery.
- Matar’s defense questions if prosecutors can prove his intent or connections to terrorism groups.
- Rushdie said he had no proof of Matar’s terrorist ties but had suspicions based on the fatwa history.
- The fatwa has never been officially repealed but Iranian government distanced itself from it in 1998.
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