VIDEO: British author Salman Rushdie suffers stab wound in neck after attack on stage in New York state
Salman Rushdie is tended to after he was attacked during a lecture in Chautauqua, New York, on Friday. AP
Gulf Today Report
British writer of Indian origin, Salman Rushdie, was stabbed on stage while attending a lecture party in New York State, according to American media.
Rushdie was stabbed while giving a speech. A man carrying a knife attacked him and punched and stabbed him. The famous writer fell to the ground.
According to the New York state police, Salman Rushdie suffered a stab wound to the neck.
They said the British author's condition was not known and the suspect was taken into custody.
Rushdie, 75, was airlifted to a local hospital, the police said.
The authorities gave no details about the suspect's identity and are investigating any probable motive.
A video circulating on social media showed Rushdie lying on the ground, while attempts were being made to rescue him from a number of people around him, while the attacker was pinned down to the ground by security present at the event.
Decades ago, the British writer sparked widespread controversy after publishing his famous novel "The Satanic Verses" in 1988, which caused a wave of protests and anger around the world.
In 1989, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini gave a fatwa (religious edict) calling upon Muslims to kill the novelist for blasphemy.
A local reporter witnessed a man storm the stage at the Chautauqua Institution and begin punching or stabbing Rushdie as he was being introduced.
The author was taken or fell to the floor, and the man was restrained.
The author was at the Chautauqua Institution to take part in a discussion about the United States serving as asylum for writers and artists in exile and "as a home for freedom of creative expression.”
The Wylie Agency, which represents Rushdie, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The 75-year-old was born in India, and his writings based on historical fiction have stirred controversy around the world. Rushdie has lived in the United States since 2000, where he received the title of "Outstanding Writer" from New York University in 2015.
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