Author Salman Rushdie airlifted with apparent neck stab wound, suspect in custody
CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. (WIVB) -- A suspect is in custody after author Salman Rushdie was attacked Friday morning on-stage at the Chautauqua Institution and airlifted to UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pa.
Rushdie, an author whose writing led to death threats from Iran in the 1980s, was about to be interviewed at 11 a.m. when someone charged the amphitheater stage and apparently stabbed the 75-year-old in the neck, New York State Police said.
The suspect in the attack was taken into custody by an NYS Tropper assigned to the event.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a Friday afternoon press conference that Rushdie is alive and receiving treatment. His agent, Andrew Wylie, told the Associated Press the writer was undergoing surgery, but had no other details.
The interviewer was also attacked and suffered a minor head injury. Hochul said she plans on releasing information on the attacker. A press conference is expected Friday afternoon.
A spokesperson for the Chautauqua Institution said they're coordinating with law enforcement and are working to get more information on the attack.
"Chautauqua Institution is currently coordinating with law enforcement and emergency officials on a public response following today's attack of Salman Rushdie on the Chautauqua Amphitheater stage," Jordan Steves, director of strategic communications, Chautauqua Institution. "We will provide more details as we know them."
Hochul thanked State Police for their response and offered her thoughts for Rushdie and his loved ones.
"Thank you to the swift response of @nyspolice & first responders following today's attack of author Salman Rushdie," Hochul said. "Our thoughts are with Salman & his loved ones following this horrific event. I have directed State Police to further assist however needed in the investigation."
Author Stephen King tweeted, "I hope Salman Rushdie is okay."
History of threats
Rushdie's 1988 book “The Satanic Verses” was viewed as blasphemous by many Muslims. Often-violent protests against Rushdie erupted around the world, including a riot that killed 12 people in Mumbai.
The novel was banned in Iran, where the late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a 1989 fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdie’s death.
A bounty of over $3 million has also been offered for anyone who kills Rushdie.FBI office break-in suspect dead after police standoff
The death threats and bounty led Rushdie to go into hiding under a British government protection program, including a round-the-clock armed guard. Rushdie emerged after nine years of seclusion and cautiously resumed more public appearances, maintaining his outspoken criticism of religious extremism overall.
Iran’s government has long since distanced itself from Khomeini’s decree, but anti-Rushdie sentiment has lingered. The Index on Censorship, an organization promoting free expression, said money was raised to boost the reward for his killing as recently as 2016, underscoring that the fatwa for his death still stands.
Rushdie has been a prominent spokesman for free expression and liberal causes. He is a former president of PEN America, which said it was “reeling from shock and horror” at the attack.
“We can think of no comparable incident of a public violent attack on a literary writer on American soil,” CEO Suzanne Nossel said in a statement.
“Salman Rushdie has been targeted for his words for decades but has never flinched nor faltered,” she added.
The American Jewish Committee condemned the attack, believing it was "connected to the Iranian 'fatwa' calling for his execution."
"It is one more link in the chain of murder and attempted murder that originates in Tehran under the mullahs," the committee said in a statement. "For decades, we’ve seen hard evidence of Iran’s sponsorship of terror, from the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut to the Israeli Embassy and AMIA bombings in Buenos Aires, the Mykonos restaurant killings in Berlin, and just in recent days the thwarted attack against Iranian women's rights activist Masih Alinejad, and the assassination plot against former National Security Adviser John Bolton. Now, Salman Rushdie has fallen victim to the violence and intolerance Iran inspires and encourages. We must all condemn egregious attacks like this, as we wish him a swift recovery."
In 2012, Rushdie published a memoir, “Joseph Anton,” about the fatwa. The title came from the pseudonym Rushdie had used while in hiding.
Rushdie rose to prominence with his Booker Prize-winning 1981 novel “Midnight’s Children,” but his name became known around the world after “The Satanic Verses.”
The Chautauqua Institution, about 55 miles southwest of Buffalo in a rural corner of New York, is known for its summertime lecture series. Rushdie has spoken there before.
The Associated Press contributed to this report