British-Indian author Salman Rushdie was stabbed while attending a lecture in New York City. According to the Associated Press, a man rushed onto the stage at the Chautauqua Institution and began punching and stabbing Rushdie while he was preparing to give a talk. The New York police confirmed that Salman Rushdie was stabbed in the neck and was airlifted to a local hospital, with his condition unknown. They reported that a suspect ran toward the stage and attacked Rushdie and one of the event's presenters, and clarified that a suspect had been arrested. It later emerged that the detainee is 24-year-old Hadi Matar, a Lebanese national residing in New Jersey.
Who is Salman Rushdie?
Rushdie, currently 75 years old, gained fame after publishing his second novel, "Midnight’s Children," in 1981, which received international acclaim and the Booker Prize. The novel chronicles India's journey from British colonization to independence and beyond. However, his 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses" sparked major controversy and was deemed offensive to Islam. Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie's death, and Iran offered over 3 million dollars as a bounty for his killing.
Following the issuance of the fatwa, Rushdie had to go into hiding, and the British government placed him under police protection. He remained in hiding for nearly a decade, changing residences frequently and unable to inform his children of his whereabouts. Rushdie did not resume public appearances until the late 1990s when Iran announced that it no longer supported his assassination.
