Author Salman Rushdie was attacked on stage at an event in western New York on Friday morning.
According to police, Rushdie suffered an apparent stab wound to the neck and was transported by helicopter to an area hospital. His condition was not immediately known.
Rushdie was scheduled to speak at the Chautauqua Institution as part of a lecture series on writers exiled under threat of persecution.
According to an Associated Press reporter who was at the event, Rushdie was attacked by a man who hopped on stage while he was being introduced.
The man began “stabbing or punching” Rushdie, who fell to the floor. The man was then restrained and taken into custody by a state trooper.
The 75-year-old Indian-born novelist has been the target of death threats and assassination attempts since the 1988 publication of “The Satanic Verses,” a book that some Muslims consider offensive because of its depiction of Islam.
A witness told CNN there were no security searches or metal detectors at the event. The witness is not being identified because they expressed concerns for their personal safety. /Compiled from wires- argumentum.al
