Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Salman Rushdie took the stand on Tuesday in Chautauqua County Court in the trial of Hadi Matar, who is accused of attacking him on a stage on Aug. 12, 2022 at the Chautauqua Institution.
It marked the first time that he and the defendant were face-to-face since the attack that left Rushdie seriously wounded and blind in one eye.
Still unknown, to this point, is whether Matar will take the stand in his own defense.
"Sometimes defendants, especially in radical situations, have bizarre requests
that may not be in their own interest, but they insist on it," said attorney Paul Cambria on WBEN.
Matar is charged with Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, and also federal terrorism charges in the 2022 stabbing of Rushdie. He also faces an Assault in the Second Degree charge in his case in Chautauqua County Court for slashing Ralph Henry Reese above the eye. Reese was also on stage with Rushdie at the time of the attack.
The attack occurred when Matar allegedly jumped on stage and stabbed Rushdie with a knife just before he was set to speak. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and rejected a plea deal.
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It is considered risky for criminal defendants to testify at their trial. The risk is from possible damaging cross examination from the prosecution. Yet, the decision is ultimately up to them.
"He may want to make some kind of religious point," added Cambria. "Things like that do happen. He may want to take the stand and talk about why it happened and try to justify what he did."
Cambria noted an attorney can't stop someone from insisting that a certain defense tactic be used.
"I've had a few of those over the years. I would go on the record, without the jury present, to indicate that the defendant is going against my advice and insisting on x,y,z," he said.
As he entered the courtroom on the first day of testimony in Mayville, Matar twice stated, "Free Palestine," as the media on-hand watched him being escorted to his seat.
Rushdie has worried about his safety since his 1989 novel “The Satanic Verses” was denounced as blasphemous by many Muslims and led to Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issuing a fatwa calling for his death.