Salman Rushdie, the renowned author who survived a brutal stabbing in 2022, appeared in court on Tuesday to testify against Hadi Matar, the man accused of attempting to murder him during a public lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York.

The attack, which left Rushdie blind in one eye, occurred as the author was preparing to speak about asylum for exiled writers.

During his testimony, Rushdie shared chilling details of the attack, describing how he initially thought the assailant had punched him before realizing that blood was pouring from his body.

"It occurred to me quite clearly that I was dying," he said, per NY Times.

Rushdie recalled his sense of shock and pain as Matar continued to stab him about 15 times repeatedly. He pointed out the severe damage caused to his body, including the loss of vision in his left eye due to the severed optic nerve.

He also revealed scars from multiple stab wounds, including injuries to his cheek, chest, throat, hand, and waist.

"He hit me very hard around my jawline and neck. Initially, I thought he'd punched me with his fist, but very soon afterwards I saw a large quantity of blood pouring on to my clothes. He was hitting me repeatedly. Hitting and slashing," Rushdie continued.

According to The Guardian, the author also said, "Everything happened very quickly. I was stabbed repeatedly, and most painfully in my eye. I struggled to get away. I held up my hand in self-defense and was stabbed through that."

Salman Rushdie Details Struggles with Trauma

In court, Rushdie displayed his distinctive eyeglasses, showing jurors that one lens was clear while the other was black, symbolizing the damage to his eye.

Despite the trauma, the 77-year-old author remained composed and steady while recounting his harrowing experience.

At one point, he even acknowledged that he might have false memories of the event, such as mistakenly thinking he had stood up to face his attacker when he had not.

The 26-year-old defendant, Hadi Matar, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree attempted murder and assault charges.

He faces additional federal terrorism charges linked to his alleged ties to a terrorist organization that supported the fatwa issued against Rushdie in 1989 by Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini.

During the trial, Matar was seated about 20 feet away from Rushdie and reportedly avoided making eye contact with the author.

The trial is expected to last two weeks, and while Rushdie did not have the opportunity to confront Matar directly in court, he had previously expressed a desire to meet his assailant.

In his memoir, "Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder," Rushdie reflected on his experience and shared his thoughts on what it might have been like to ask his attacker about his motives.

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Stabbing