Booker Prize winner and author of The Satanic Verses Salman Rushdie has been attacked in New York, USA. Salman Rushdie had been facing death threats for many years. The attack took place when he was speaking at a program at the Chautauqua Institute.
Witnesses say they saw a man running on stage when he was being introduced. In a video posted online, attendees are seen running on stage soon after the incident.
After this the people present there caught the attacker on the spot. Rushdie’s condition is not yet known. Police have told that he has been taken to a local hospital by helicopter.
New York State Police have reported that Salman Rushdie was stabbed in the neck. And the attacker is now in police custody.
New York State Police Commander Major Eugene J Staniszewski issued a police statement on the incident.
State police are investigating the attack on Salman Rushdie, the first author of a speech at the Chautauqua Institute in Chateauqua, New York.
On August 12, 2022, at around 11 p.m., a suspicious man reached the stage and attacked Rushdie and the person interviewing him. Rushdie is stabbed in the neck. The suspected attacker was immediately taken into custody. His condition is not yet known. At the same time, the interviewer has suffered a minor head injury.
Governor’s statement
New York State Governor Cathy Hochul thanked the quick responders and the New York State Police after the attack. She wrote on social media site Twitter, “Our sympathies are with Salman and his loved ones after this horrific incident. I have directed the State Police to provide more help if needed in the investigation.”
Who is Salman Rushdie
The Indian-origin novelist shot to fame with ‘Midnight Children’ in 1981. It sold over one million copies in the UK alone.
In 1988, Rushdie’s fourth book, The Satanic Verses, was published. This novel caused outrage among some Muslims, They termed its content as blasphemy. It was banned in some countries.
A year after the book’s publication, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a death fatwa against Rushdie.