• Rushdie taken to hospital by helicopter
Author Salman Rushdie, 75, have been stabbed in the neck today on stage at an event in New York state, according to police.
An Associated Press reporter witnessed a man storm the stage at the Chautauqua Institution and begin punching or stabbing Rushdie as he was being introduced.
The man was restrained and Rushdie was then seen on the floor, being treated, with his legs being held in the air.
Reports have it that the famed novelist was about to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution, an arts and education centre when the suspect launched the attack, and Rushdie was treated on stage then taken to hospital by helicopter.
The suspect was arrested at the scene and is in custody, New York State Police say.
Rushdie faced death threats and went into hiding for nearly a decade after his book ‘The Satanic Verses’ was published in 1988.
Iran at the time issued an edict calling for his death.
New York governor Kathy Hochul has said she has directed police to assist “however needed” with the investigation into the stabbing.
In a tweet, Hochul also thanked the police and first responders who helped after the incident.
“Our thoughts are with Salman & his loved ones following this horrific event,” she wrote.
State police have confirmed that Salman Rushdie has suffered an apparent stab wound to the neck.
New York State Police have confirmed that a male suspect has been taken into custody after the apparent stabbing of Salman Rushdie prior to a speaking event in Chautauqua, New York.
In a statement, police said a male suspect ran up onto the stage and attacked Rushdie and an interviewer.
A State Trooper assigned to the event immediately took the suspect into custody.
A receptionist at the Chautauqua Institution has confirmed an “emergency” is taking place at the venue.
Rushdie was on stage at the not-for-profit Chautauqua Institution in western New York when he was attacked.
The event, billed as Salman Rushdie & Henry Reese, was part of a series looking at “redefining the American home” in the 21st Century and was set to feature a “discussion of the United States as asylum for writers and other artists in exile and as a home for freedom of creative expression”.
The institution had partnered with City of Asylum, a residency program for writers living in exile under threat of persecution.
A statement said: On August 12, 2022, at about 11 am, a male suspect ran up onto the stage and attacked Rushdie and an interviewer. 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.”
Iranian media added to bounty for Rushdie’s killing in 2016
Iranian state-run media outlets added $600,000 to a bounty for the killing of Salman Rushdie in 2016, Reuters news agency reported at the time.
Some $3m (£2.5m) was originally offered for his execution in 1989 by the then Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, over the publishing Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses.
The book sparked outrage among some Muslims, who considered its content blasphemous, and it was banned in some countries.
On the 27th anniversary of the original edict, Iran’s Fars news agency published a list of 40 news outlets adding to the bounty – with Fars itself earmarking $30,000.
While Iran’s government has distanced itself from Khomeini’s decree, Reuters reported in 2016 that Iranian hardliners said it was irrevocable and eternal after his death.
What happened when The Satanic Verses was published?
Salman Rushdie’s surrealist, post-modern novel sparked outrage, demonstrations and calls for a ban as soon as it was published in 1988 – but also counter-demonstrations protesting against censorship and book-burning.
A fatwa, or edict, from the then Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, calling for Rushdie’s death took things to an entirely new level, sparking a global diplomatic crisis.
Fifty-nine people died across the world – the figure includes translators who were murdered, and people who died during demonstrations and Rushdie himself went into hiding for nine years as a result of the threats.
Many Muslims consider the novel to be blasphemous but Rushdie, who has become an outspoken advocate of freedom of expression, says it is not.
Hardliners in Iran say Khomeini’s decree remains in place, even though some Iranian governments have moved to distance themselves from it.
Source: BBC News
