According to reports in the US media on Friday, Salman Rushdie, a well-known author, was assaulted on stage in New York. As the Booker Prize-winning novelist was about to take the stage at a western New York state speech, he was ambushed.
Rushdie is said to have been stabbed before making a speech in Chautauqua, New York.
As Rushdie was introduced, an Associated Press reporter saw a man attack the stage at the Chautauqua Institution and start punching or stabbing Rushdie.
The author was knocked to the ground, and the man was immediately detained and handcuffed.
Rushdie has suffered years of death threats over his book ¡®The Satanic Verses¡¯ which Islamic clerics severely criticized.
"Rushdie suffered an apparent stab wound to the neck and was transported by helicopter to an area hospital," the press release said.?
"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."
Rushdie, born in a Muslim family in India, has faced death threats due to his fourth book, "The Satanic Verses," which some Muslims believed contained blasphemous passages.?
After its 1988 release, the book was banned in many nations with significant Muslim populations.
Iran has banned Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses" since 1988 since many Muslims perceive it as disrespectful.?
Iran has allegedly offered a reward of more than $3 million for the assassination of Rushdie.
(With agency inputs)
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