The accusation pertains to the injuring of Henry Reese, the co-founder of the City of Asylum organization in Pittsburgh. The organization aids exiled writers, and Reese was in conversation with Rushdie during the incident. Reese is scheduled to provide testimony in court. Rushdie characterized his attacker as wearing dark clothing and a dark face mask due to COVID-19. “I was particularly struck by his eyes, which appeared dark and extremely menacing to me,” testified Rushdie. An objection was raised by a defense attorney for Matar regarding this characterization, resulting in the answer being stricken from the official record by Judge David Foley. “Alright, not menacing,” clarified Rushdie. Chautauqua District Attorney Jason Schmidt rephrased his question, inquiring how Rushdie assessed the ferocity of his assailant. “He struck me repeatedly, approximately six more times,” Rushdie responded. “At one point, I believed I was facing death. That was my initial thought.” For additional CNN updates and newsletters, register for an account on CNN.com.
