New York Gov. says stabbed Salman Rushdie still alive (Photos/Video)
New York State Governor, Kathy Hochul, has said that Salman Rushdie, the Man Booker Prize award winner who was stabbed on Friday is alive and currently receiving treatment in a hospital.
Salman Rushdie, who received death threats from Iran due to his book in the past, was stabbed several times by an attacker during a lecture in New.
According to the official statement released by the New York State Police, a man stabbed Rushdie in the neck at the Chautauqua Institution. The incident took place just before he could start his lecture. The attacker was caught and restrained by the security at the event.
“He is alive and has been transported, airlifted, to safety… The event moderator was attacked as well; he’s getting the care he needs at a local hospital,” the New York Governor told AP.
While Rushdie received first aid on stage, his current condition remains unknown. The police report further stated that he was taken to the hospital with the help of a medical helicopter.
Rushdie won the prestigious Man Booker Prize in 1981 for his second novel — Midnight’s Children — and the book also went on to win “Booker of Bookers” award on two different occasions.
One of Rushdie’s infamous works — The Satanic Verses — resulted in a number of death threats on the grounds of blasphemy. He was severely criticised for the content and Iran’s late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini even issued a fatwa with someone posting a $3 million bounty on him.
In the later years, Iran decided to not endorse Khomeini’s fatwa, but the bounty kept increasing over time. According to reports, an Iranian religious foundation made it $3.3 million in 2012.
While the threats continued, Rushdie said that he was not afraid and, in his memoir, “Joseph Anton”, he wrote that he believes no one is interested in the bounty placed on his name.
Watch video of how he was stabbed using the link below:
