Celebrity writer Salman Rushdie, an author of Indian descent, was stabbed in the neck on Friday during an attack at a gathering in Chautauqua County, New York. An eyewitness reported that Rushdie, whose controversial writings led to a fatwa that drove him into hiding, was attacked by a man as he was being introduced to give a talk on artistic freedom.

Social media posts from Chautauqua Institution, about 100 kilometers outside of the city, showed people rushing to Rushdie’s aid after an attacker wearing “black clothes and a black mask” jumped onto the stage and attacked him. The author was stabbed in the neck as she fell to the ground. People can be seen rushing to save Rushdie from the attack in video footage. The attack left the talk’s moderator with minor head wounds as well. The assailant was arrested by the police right away.

Rushdie was transported to a hospital by helicopter, but the police do not yet know his condition. The attack’s motivation was not stated in the police statement.

BREAKING: Author Salman Rushdie stabbed on stage before a lecture in New York pic.twitter.com/vjhG9HMh0g

— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) August 12, 2022

According to New York Governor Kathy Hochul in a press conference, the writer is still alive and receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.
The event moderator was also assaulted; he is receiving the necessary care at a nearby hospital, she said.

Since 1988, Rushdie’s book The Satanic Verses has been prohibited in Iran because many Muslims view it as blasphemous. The late president of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, had called for Rushdie’s execution in a fatwa. Iran has also offered a reward of more than $3 million for the murder of Rushdie.

Salman Rushdie was taken to the hospital by medical helicopter.
Author Salman Rushdie was stabbed after taking stage at a Chautauqua Institute event.

This man has been detained by police.-#NYPD#SalmanRushdie #Newyork pic.twitter.com/M2xt3nicbh

— Chaudhary Parvez (@ChaudharyParvez) August 12, 2022

The author remained anonymous after the controversy surrounding The Satanic Verses and spent the majority of his time in the UK living under official protection. Nevertheless, he wrote several novels in the 1990s and kept up his criticism of religious fundamentalism.

The author, who is now 75 years old and was raised in a Muslim family in India, rose to prominence after publishing “Midnight’s Children” in 1981, which received critical acclaim worldwide and the prestigious Booker Prize from Britain for its portrayal of post-independence India. In Britain, the writer received a knighthood in 2007 from his friend and then-prime minister Tony Blair “for services to literature.”

The man that stabbed Salmon Rushdie.🤔 pic.twitter.com/fuzOu0yTtG

— Paul the Other One🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧🤘🍷🏉🐱 (@58paulb) August 12, 2022

The celebrity writer’s final work, The Seventh Wave, a novella that was serialized on Sub Stack and seemed to be primarily about spies and assassinations, dealt with an assassination attempt.

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