A prosecutor says Salman Rushdie was so stunned when a masked man started to stab him on a stage in western New York that the acclaimed author didn’t even try to fight back. Rushdie is expected to testify during the trial of Hadi Matar, who is charged with attempted murder and assault in the August 2022 attack. During his opening statement Monday, District Attorney Jason Schmidt described the swift and sudden attack by Matar, who stabbed Rushdie in the head, throat, abdomen, thigh and hand. Rushdie was left blind in one eye. Matar’s lawyer was set to address jurors later in the morning.
