Salman Rushdie attacker found guilty of attempted murder after brutal onstage stabbing

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In August 2022, he was found guilty of attempted murder.

On the neck, stomach, chest, hand, and right eye.

A 27-year-old man from New Jersey pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and assault stemming from the attack that left Rushdie partially blind.

Salman Rushdie took the stand on the second day of the trial. Sitting about 20 feet away from his attacker, he said that he thought he was going to die during the 2022 attack.

He thought at first that his attacker was hitting him with a fist, he said.

I saw a huge amount of blood pouring onto my clothes," Rushdie said. "He was hitting me over and over. Hitting and slashing.

The British American, born in India, detailed his months of recovery in a memoir he published in 2023, titled "Knife: Meditations After and Attempted Murder."

Considered blasphemous by some Muslims.

On Friday in court, Matar's lawyer, Andrew Brautigam, argued that the prosecution didn't provide enough evidence to prove beyond a doubt that he intended to kill Rushdie. He pointed out that an investigation into Matar's background was not done, and that Rushdie himself described the attack as an assault, not an attempted murder.

reported.

“Please take note of the unprovoked manner of this attack,” District Attorney Jason Schmidt said in court, according to the outlet. “Please take note of the deliberate nature of the attack. There were many people present that day, but only one person was specifically targeted.”

He has been detained without the option of paying bail since the attack occurred.

The courtroom was packed as the lawyers presented their final arguments on Friday afternoon. The jury started deliberating shortly after, and came to a guilty verdict about two hours later.

A court hearing has been scheduled for April 23.

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