Salman Rushdie, the Mumbai-born controversial author who faced Islamist death threats for years after writing "The Satanic Verses", suffered multiple wounds to the neck and is in surgery after a man stormed the stage and stabbed him as he was about to deliver a lecture during an event here on Friday.
Rushdie (75), who won the Booker Prize for his novel "Midnight's Children", was stabbed by the man on stage while he was being introduced at the event of the Chautauqua Institution in Western New York.
Hadi Matar (24) from Fairview, New Jersey has been identified as the suspect who attacked Rushdie, Major Eugene Staniszewski of the New York State Police told a press conference in the evening.
He said at around 10:47 am local time, Rushdie and his interviewer, Henry Reese (73), arrived on stage at the Chautauqua Institution. Shortly thereafter, the suspect jumped on the stage and attacked Rushdie, "stabbing him at least once in the neck and at least once in the abdomen".
Staniszewski said several members of the staff at the institution and audience members rushed towards the suspect and took him to the ground.
He said Rushdie was provided medical treatment by a doctor who was in the audience until medical personnel arrived on the scene. Rushdie was airlifted to a local trauma centre and is "still undergoing surgery".
Rushdie fell through a barrier to the stage and was seen with blood on his hands.
"State Police are investigating an attack on author Salman Rushdie prior to a speaking event at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, NY. On August 12, 2022, at about 11 am, a male suspect ran up onto the stage and attacked Rushdie and an interviewer," the New York Police said in a statement.
"Rushdie suffered an apparent stab wound to the neck and was transported by helicopter to an area hospital. His condition is not yet known. The interviewer suffered a minor head injury. A State Trooper assigned to the event immediately took the suspect into custody. The Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office assisted at the scene," it said.
Some people in the audience ran to render aid to Rushdie while others went after the attacker, a witness said.
Another witness told CNN that there were no security searches or metal detectors at the event.
Rushdie's fourth book, "The Satanic Verses", published in 1988, forced him into hiding for nine years.
A year after the book's publication, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called for Rushdie's execution for publishing the book for its blasphemous content.
Since the 1980s, Rushdie's writing has led to death threats from Iran, which has offered a USD 3 million reward for anyone who kills him.
"Thank you to the swift response of @nyspolice and first responders following today's attack of author Salman Rushdie. Our thoughts are with Salman and his loved ones following this horrific event. I have directed State Police to further assist however needed in the investigation," said New York State Governor Kathy Hochul.
"It is heartbreaking to learn that within the last hour, a prominent individual, Salman Rushdie, was attacked on a stage in western New York just before he was about to give a speech. He is alive, he has been transported, airlifted to safety," Hochul said in remarks at an event on "Preventing Gun Violence, Protecting New Yorkers".
The New York Times quoted Rushdie's agent Andrew Wylie as saying that the writer was in surgery. The report added that Wylie did not have an update on Rushdie's condition.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain said in a Twitter post that he was "appalled that Sir Salman Rushdie has been stabbed while exercising a right we should never cease to defend. Right now, my thoughts are with his loved ones. We are all hoping he is okay".
Conservative Indian-origin leadership candidate Rishi Sunak said he was "shocked" to hear of the attack on Rushdie, who he called "a champion of free speech and artistic freedom".
"Shocked to hear of the attack on Salman Rushdie in New York. A champion of free speech and artistic freedom. He's in our thoughts tonight," Sunak said in a tweet.
A leading literary organisation expressed "shock and horror" at the "brutal, premeditated" attack on Rushdie.
"PEN America is reeling from shock and horror at the word of a brutal, premeditated attack on our former President and stalwart ally, Salman Rushdie, who was reportedly stabbed multiple times while on stage speaking at the Chautauqua Institute in upstate New York," PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said in a statement.
Nossel said hours before the attack, Rushdie had e-mailed her to help with placements for Ukrainian writers in need of safe refuge from the grave perils they face.
The Chautauqua Institution said it is focusing on coordinating with police officials following the "tragic" incident.
Rushdie's works include "Luka and the Fire of Life", "Grimus", "Midnight's Children" (for which he won the Booker Prize and, later, the Best of the Booker), "Shame", "The Satanic Verses", "Haroun and the Sea of Stories", "The Moor's Last Sigh", "The Ground Beneath Her Feet", "Fury" and "Shalimar the Clown" among others.
His memoir is titled Joseph Anton -- named for the pseudonym he used while in hiding following the fatwa issued by Khomeini.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks