On the witness stand, Salman Rushdie described the frenzied moments when a masked man rushed at him on a stage and repeatedly slashed him with a knife.

Hadi Mater, 26, is due to go on trial Tuesday for the 2022 stabbing of ‘The Satanic Verses’ author Salman Rushdie, who is expected to testify.

District Attorney Jason Schmidt told jurors the attack was swift and sudden. He said Matar bounded up a staircase to the stage and ran about 30 feet toward Rushdie. As the stabbing began, Rushdie and fellow speaker Henry Reese were so stunned that they initially remained seated.