Salman Rushdie on a ventilator after being stabbed on stage at New York state event

 

Author Salman Rushdie remains on a ventilator after being attacked on stage at an event in western New York state in the United States (US) on Friday.

He was stabbed in the neck and torso when he was about to give a lecture at an event in western New York. Subsequently, he was taken to the hospital. Andrew Wylie, his spokesperson, said in a statement on Friday evening that “he was put on a ventilator and could lose an eye.”

New York state police identified his attacker as Hadi Matar. Rushdie was repeatedly stabbed by Hadi Matar, who bought a pass to attend the event. Rushdie’s interviewer, Henry Reese, was also attacked and suffered a minor head injury.

A preliminary review of Matar's social media revealed that he was sympathetic to "Shia extremism" and the causes of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC). Investigators found images of Iranian commander Qassem Solemani, who was assassinated in 2020, in the phone messaging app belonging to Matar. Police officials are still looking into Matar's nationality and his criminal records. Matar is just 24 years old.

Rushdie’s writing also led to death threats from Iran in the late 1980s. He faced threats for decades over his 1988 book, The Satanic Verses. Many Muslims also accused Rushdie of blasphemy. The novel was considered by some clerics as disrespectful to the Prophet Mohammed. In 1989, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran ordered Muslims to kill Rushdie.

Rushdie spent nearly a decade under police protection in the United Kingdom. Since 2000, Rushdie has lived in the United States.

Many US leaders slammed the recent attack. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan termed the attack as "appalling" and “reprehensible.” New York governor Kathy Hochul slammed the attack. The governor hailed Rushdie as "an individual who has spent decades speaking truth to power."