Salman Rushdie knife attack suspect goes on trial

In August 2022, the Indian-born British-American author was put on a ventilator and spent six weeks in hospital after being stabbed up to 10 times on stage at an event in New York state.

Mr Matar, who was 24 at the time, is accused of sprinting on stage and carrying out the attack.

The injuries resulted in damage to Mr Rushdie’s liver, lost vision in one eye and a paralysed hand caused by nerve damage to his arm.

The Satanic Verses author previously told BBC Newshour he was unsure if he wanted to face his alleged attacker in court.

“I’m in two minds about it,” he said. “There’s one bit of me that actually wants to go and stand on the court and look at him and there’s another bit of me that just can’t be bothered.”

Henry Reese, moderator of the event Mr Rushdie was attending at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York state, was also injured in the attack.

Separate to the Chautauqua County Court charges, Mr Matar was charged by a federal court with providing material support to the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah, according to an indictment unsealed last July.

Hezbollah is designated a terrorist organisation by Western states, Israel, Gulf Arab countries and the Arab League.