Salman Rushdie describes moment of attack as he gives evidence in court

Tuesday 11 February 2025 15:44, UK

Salman Rushdie has described in court the moment he was attacked on stage.

The British-Indian author, who was stabbed as he was preparing to give a speech
in August 2022, took the stand in a New York courtroom to give evidence against
the man charged in the attack.

Rushdie, 77, was blinded in one eye in the attack, suffered a severely damaged
hand, and spent months recovering.

He told the court: “I only saw him at the last minute.

“I was aware of someone wearing black clothes, or dark clothes and a black face
mask.

“I was very struck by his eyes, which were dark and seemed very ferocious to me.

“I thought he was hitting me with his fist but I saw a large quantity of blood
pouring onto my clothes. He was hitting me repeatedly. Hitting and slashing,” he
said.

Hadi Matar, 27, is charged with attempted murder and assault for attacking
Rushdie.

He has pleaded not guilty, and the trial continues.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published
shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News
app [https://qrcode.skynews.com/skynews/appdownload]. You can also follow us on
WhatsApp [https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va868Fv8vd1UsF99tP1u] and
subscribe to our YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/skynews] to keep up
with the latest news.