According to authorities, Salman Rushdie, a writer whose writings in the 1980s drew death threats from Iran, was stabbed on Friday as he got ready to give a lecture in western New York.
The 75-year-old novelist was at least twice stabbed, once in the neck and once in the belly, according to the police.
His representative later stated that he had been put on a ventilator and would probably lose one eye.
Hadi Matar, 24, of Fairview, New Jersey, has been named as the suspect in the stabbing, according to Major Eugene J. Staniszewski of the New York State Police.
According to the authorities, he had a permit to enter the grounds, just like the other audience members.
He claimed that Matar was detained by a state trooper who was dispatched to the scene.
Authorities believe he was acting alone, and they are attempting to determine his motivation for the assault.
Rushdie’s agent claims that the author is currently unable to speak because he is on a ventilator.
Rushdie’s nerves in his arm were “severed,” his liver had been “stabbed and damaged,” and Rushdie will likely lose an eye, the speaker continued.
An Associated Press reporter witnessed a man charge the stage and begin verbally abusing Rushdie while Rushdie was being presented at the Chautauqua Institution.
Rushdie was restrained from pushing or tumbling to the ground.
Rushdie was quickly surrounded by a small group of people who raised his legs to help his heart get more blood.
Officials claim that while they waited for the EMTs, a doctor who was in the audience helped to care for Rushdie.
Rushdie was having surgery on Friday afternoon, according to his agent.
Staniszewski claims that the suspect also attacked another speaker, who suffered a minor face wound.
Staniszewski claims that he was taken to a hospital and is now free.
A video purportedly depicting the attack’s aftermath was circulated on social media.
After gaping in shock at the tragedy, hundreds of bystanders were evacuated.
Governor Kathy Hochul of New York tweeted after this terrible occurrence, “Our thoughts are with Salman & his family ones.”
Rushdie attended the conference to speak about “the United States as sanctuary for writers and other artists in exile and as a haven for freedom of creative expression,” according to the Chautauqua Institution.
In a video posted on Twitter, Rushdie seemed to be being transported to a medical helicopter.
Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses” has been prohibited in Iran since 1988 because many Muslims find it offensive.
The late Iranian president Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini demanded Rushdie’s execution in a fatwa, or decree, that was released a year later.
Although the Iranian government had long since distanced itself from Khomeini’s directive, Rushdie continued to be the target of hostility.
In 2012, a semi-official Iranian religious organisation increased Rushdie’s reward from $2.8 million to $3.3 million.
Rushdie scoffed at the threat at the time, saying there was “no proof” that anyone would be interested in winning.
In that year, Rushdie published “Joseph Anton,” a memoir about his time spent enduring the fatwa.
Rushdie stated that free speech needs to be unrestricted in order to be free in response to the 2015 shootings at Charlie Hebdo in Paris.
He added that he believes that the three words “Freedom is Indivisible,” which were used by both John F. Kennedy and Nelson Mandela, sum up everything.
“You can’t cut it apart because doing so would make freedom impossible. You may not support Charlie Hebdo.
However, whether or not you agree with them does not affect their right to free speech.”
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan condemned the event in a statement on Friday night, calling it “a terrible act of violence.”
According to Sullivan, the Biden-Harris team as a whole is praying for Sullivan’s speedy recovery.
We appreciate law enforcement’s quick response, which is still ongoing, as well as the kind individuals and first responders who came to Mr. Rushdie’s aid so quickly after the tragedy.