Salman Rushdie, whose novel “The Satanic Verses” made him a target of death threats from Iran, was stabbed in the neck and abdomen on Friday.
He was attacked by a man who rushed the stage as the author was about to give a lecture in western New York.
Salman Rushdie Is On Ventilator
After being airlifted to hospital where he spent hours in surgery, Rushdie was on a ventilator and unable to speak on Friday evening.
The news is not good,” Andrew Wylie, his book agent, wrote in an email to the Reuters news agency. “Salman Rushdie will likely lose one eye; the nerves in his arm were severed; and his liver was stabbed and damaged.”
Who Was The Suspect
Police identified the suspect as 24-year-old Hadi Matar from New Jersey.
Major Eugene Staniszewski of New York state police told reporters on Friday afternoon that officials do not have “any indication of a motive” at this “very early” stage of the investigation. They said they believed that Matar was acting alone.
His Work and Achievements
Rushdie has written 14 novels, including The Satanic Verses, one of his most popular books, which resulted in death threats against the author from Iran’s leader in 1989.
Beyond his work as a writer, Rushdie has long championed the importance of freedom of expression. He served as the president of PEN America between 2004 and 2006 and then as chairman of the PEN World Voices International Literary Festival for 10 years.
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