New York: Writer Salman Rushdie was stabbed in the neck at an event in New York on Friday. The New York State Police confirmed the attack and said the author was airlifted to an area hospital. The attacker is in custody, the police said.
Rushdie was about to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution when the assailant rushed to the stage. Rabbi Charles Savenor was among the hundreds of people in the audience. âThis guy ran onto the platform and started pounding on Mr Rushdie. At first youâre like, âWhatâs going on?â And then it became abundantly clear in a few seconds that he was being beaten,â Savenor said.
The Mumbai-born novelist gained prominence with his 1981 novel Midnightâs Children, which was awarded the Booker Prize. It was also awarded Best of the Bookers twice.
His 1988 book The Satanic Verses was viewed as blasphemous by many Muslims. The novel was banned in Iran, where the late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a 1989 fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdieâs death.
A bounty of over $3 million has also been offered for anyone who kills Rushdie. The death threats and bounty led Rushdie to go into hiding under a British government protection programme, including a round-the-clock armed guard. Rushdie emerged after nine years of seclusion and cautiously resumed more public appearances.
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