According to his representative, Salman Rushdie is on a ventilator and may lose an eye after being attacked on stage in New York state.
According to witnesses, the British novelist of Indian descent was stabbed or punched 10 to 15 times in the neck and abdomen during an event in the state of New York.
Andrew Wylie, a literary agent, stated that the 75-year-old novelist sustained severed nerves in one arm and liver damage.
Mr. Wylie stated in writing, “The news is not favorable.”
The nerves in Salman’s arm were cut, and his liver was pierced and wounded.
The British novelist of Indian descent was being introduced to the public before delivering a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution when, according to witnesses, a man seized the stage and stabbed or hit him 10 to 15 times.
Sir Salman, who spent years in hiding and endured death threats following the publication of The Satanic Verses in 1988, was set to deliver a speech on freedom of expression and the United States as a haven for writers.
As he collapsed to the ground, audience members and personnel ran onstage and pinned him down. A state trooper promptly arrested the culprit, who is now in custody.
He has been identified as Hadi Matar, 24, from Fairview, New Jersey, who purchased an event pass. Although police have not yet determined a motive for the assault, they believe the man acted alone.
According to NBC News, citing a law enforcement person with direct knowledge of the inquiry, a preliminary analysis of Matar’s social media reveals his support for Shia radicalism and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran.
Sir Salman was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania.
The Satanic Verses was the fourth novel by Sir Salman. It was seen by some to include blasphemous sections and was therefore prohibited in several nations with large Muslim populations, including Iran.
In 1989, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the then-leader of Iran, issued a fatwa, or decree, calling for Sir Salman’s execution.
The country has issued a reward of more than $3 million for the writer’s assassination.
Since the attack on Friday, there has been no official statement from the Iranian leadership, but some hardline Iranian newspapers have hailed the attack.
The death threats and bounty prompted Rushdie to go into hiding for nine years under the protection of the British government, which included a 24-hour armed guard.
Pilar Pintagro, a witness to the assault, told, “We were terrified because he was first stabbed in the neck, where blood began to spray everywhere, and then he was attacked in the shoulders and repeatedly stabbed because the attack was so swift.”
Salman attempted to flee from the assailant, who continued to stab him multiple times until he was finally subdued by members of the audience.
“In shocked”
A doctor in the audience assisted the author before emergency personnel arrived.
Henry Reese, the event’s moderator, was reportedly attacked and sustained a slight head injury.
Another witness, Julia Mineeva Braun, told that as Sir Salman was being presented, “a short man dressed in all black ran out from the left side of the platform and approached Mr. Rushdie.”
We initially believed he was repairing his microphone, but then we spotted the knife. He began by stabbing him in the neck… Mr. Rushdie then sprang up and began to run. We’re still in disbelief.”
The publisher of Sir Salman’s book, Penguin Random House, stated that they were “very horrified” by the occurrence.
We condemn this public act of violence, and our thoughts are with Salman and his family during this difficult time.
Jake Sullivan, White House National Security Adviser, termed the incident as “appalling” and added, “We’re grateful to good people and first responders for assisting him so quickly.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated on Twitter that he was “appalled that Sir Salman Rushdie was stabbed whilst exercising a right we must always safeguard.
He continued, “My thoughts are currently with his loved ones. We are all praying for his safety.”
Sir Salman resides in New York City and became a citizen of the United States in 2016. It was anticipated that he would explore America’s role as a refuge for authors and other artists in exile and as a bastion of creative expression.
