Author Salman Rushdie stabbed on stage at conference in New York

Photo: Hayoung Jeon FILE / EFE

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Salman Rushdie was stabbed in the neck when an assailant climbed onto the stage where he was giving a lecture in the Chautauqua Institution amphitheater on the west side of the state new york this morning, police said.

The state of health of the 75-year-old author is unknown at this time. The New York State Police (NYSP) released a statement regarding the attack on Rushdie, writing: “On August 12, 2022, around 11 a.m., a suspicious man ran up the stage and attacked Rushdie and an interviewer. Rushdie suffered an apparent stab wound to the neck and was airlifted to an area hospital. His status is not yet known.”

The New York Governor Kathy Hochul, He thanked the state police on Twitter: “Thanks to the quick response from @nyspolice and first responders following today’s attack on perpetrator Salman Rushdie. Our thoughts are with Salman and his loved ones after this horrific event. I have ordered the State Police to assist in whatever is necessary in the investigation.”

Rushdie, an Indian-born British author who had been threatened with death by Muslim radicals decades ago, he was airlifted to a local hospital and his condition is still unknown, he summarized The New York Times.

Journalists, writers and celebrities reacted with shock and horror after the author was attacked, reaffirming the value of freedom of expression, highlighted The Guardian.

The attack occurred shortly after the Rushdie took the stage to give a lecture. The author spent years living in hiding after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran called for his execution in 1989 for the publication of his novel “The Satanic Verses”, inspired by the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

The author fell to the ground and the unidentified assailant was restrained. So far it is not clear if there is a connection between today’s attack and that threat.

Iran’s government has long since distanced itself from Khomeini’s decree, but anti-Rushdie sentiment persisted. In 2012, a semi-official Iranian religious foundation offered a $3.3 million reward for the author’s death.

Rushdie dismissed that new threat at the time, saying there was “no evidence” that anyone was interested in the bounty.

News in development.

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