NEW YORK, August 12. /TASS/. Salman Rushdie, a celebrated writer and winner of the world’s top literary prizes, was attacked and stabbed in the neck when he was about to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in New York, the local police said on Friday.
"On August 12, 2022, at approximately 11 a.m., the suspect ran onto the stage and attacked Rushdie and the interviewer. Rushdie suffered an apparent stab wound to the neck and was airlifted to an area hospital. His condition is still unknown," the police said, adding that the suspect was detained instantly.
The 75-year-old writer has been living under a death threat for more than 30 years after Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, issued a fatwa, or an edict calling for Rushdie’s death, for his 1988 book The Satanic Verses, which was viewed by many Muslims as sacreligious. He spent years under Britain’s protection before Iran tacitly guaranteed his security.
The Mumbai-born author is the winner of numerous literary prizes, including the 1981 Booker Prize for his novel Midnight’s Children. In 2007, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
He was married four times and has two sons. Since 2000, Rushdie has been living in the United Sates and in 2016 he was granted US citizenship.