A Turk who has had martial arts training since he was 15 says it saved his life when he was stabbed three times during a road rage incident two weeks ago.

Kartal Samil Turkdogan told a court he would have died had he not known how to defend himself.

Mr Turkdogan told Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona that he had forgiven Badr Abou Snaima, a 33-year-old self-employed Libyan plasterer who stands charged with attempting to murder him at around 8.30pm on May 30.

Mr Snaima denies hitting him three times with a keychain flick knife in front of Mr Turkdogan’s three children as the two came to blows over the controversial bus lane at the Sliema Ferries.

Mr Turkdogan testified he was crossing the road with his children, aged between 12 and 17, and his son’s girlfriend on their way to dinner. As they reached the bus lane, a car sped past, missing him by a few inches. He said he opened his arms and shouted “What the fu**?” and the car stopped some two or three metres away.

He said the accused had his wife and daughter in the car at the time so he went to speak to him from the passenger window.

At first, Mr Snaima began speaking to him in a language he could not understand and Mr Turkdogan told him he did not have to be so arrogant and could simply apologise because he should not drive like that on the bus lane.

At that point, Mr Snaima switched to English and told him: “Do you want to fight, because if you do I’ll just get out of the car.”

Mr Turkdogan said Mr Snaima got out of the car, quickly changed his mind, got back in and started to drive off, but just a couple of metres away he stopped again, got out of the car, ran towards him and the scuffle broke out.

Mr Turkdogan said that at no point did he see a knife.

Mr Turkdogan said he was stabbed in the arm and twice in the back and was taken to hospital by an ambulance, which he thinks was called by his daughter.

Under cross examination, Mr Turkdogan confirmed that he had trained in martial arts since he was 15 and also practised boxing, though not professionally.

At the end of the sitting, Magistrate Micallef Trigona found that enough evidence had been presented for Mr Snaima to be indicted.

Police Inspector Saviour Baldacchino prosecuted. Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi appeared for the accused. Lawyers Giannella de Marco and Gianluca Caruana Curran appeared parte civile.