District Attorney Jason Schmidt told jurors the attack was swift and sudden. He said Matar bounded up a staircase to the stage and ran about 30 feet toward Rushdie. As the stabbing began, Rushdie and fellow speaker Henry Reese were so stunned that they initially remained seated.

Hadi Matar, 27, of Fairview, New Jersey, is charged with attempted murder and assault and could face a total of 32 years behind bars.

Hadi Matar, who is on trial for the knife attack against the British author, has also been accused of supporting terrorism and attempting to carry out a fatwa calling for Rushdie's assassination.

The trial of a man accused of stabbing renowned British Indian author Salman Rushdie on a New York stage in 2022 goes to court Monday for opening statements in his attempted murder and assault trial.

The criminal trial of the man accused of attempting to murder author Salman Rushdie began with prosecutors saying Hadi Matar was on a mission when he rushed to attack Rushdie, stabbing him multiple times in 2022.

Salman Rushdie was critically injured and left permanently blind in one eye after being stabbed multiple times by Hadi Matar at a cultural event. Mata

The trial of Hadi Matar, 27, accused of stabbing famed author Salman Rushdie during his speaking engagement at the Chautauqua Institution in August of 2022, begins Monday with statements.

Salman Rushdie is expected to testify during the trial, marking the first time he will face his alleged attacker.

Salman Rushdie stabber, Hadi Matar, says 'Free Palestine' as he walks into court

Author Salman Rushdie will come face to face with his attacker in a New York court nearly three years after he was left blind in one eye following a gruesome assault.