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Author Salman Rushdie was stabbed on stage at a speaking engagement in upstate New York, according to state police.
The violent attack happened at around 10:45 a.m. Friday, Aug. 12, as Rushdie was about to begin lecturing at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, located about 70 miles south of Buffalo.
A man stormed the stage and repeatedly stabbed the 75-year-old Rushdie in the neck and chest, New York State Police said.
Rushdie was taken by helicopter to a hospital for emergency surgery.
Friday evening, Aug. 12, his agent told The New York Times that Rushdie was on a ventilator and could not speak.
He also told the outlet that Rushdie will likely lose an eye, and that he suffered serious injuries to his liver and arm.
The other speaker at the event, identified as 73-year-old Ralph Reese, suffered a minor head injury in the attack, police said.
There were no other reports of injuries.
Immediately following the attack, staff members of the Chautauqua Institution and guests went on stage and held the attacker down until he was arrested by a state police trooper.
Police identified the suspect as 24-year-old Hadi Matar, of Fairview, New Jersey.
The street outside of Matar's home was blocked off hours after the attack, as officers reportedly executed search warrants.
The Chautauqua County District Attorney's Office will determine criminal charges once the investigation is completed, state police said.
Rushdie, a native of Mumbai, India, has long been the subject of death threats from around the world following the publication of his 1988 book, The Satanic Verses, which critics deemed as hate speech directed toward Muslims.
In 1989, Iran's leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa, calling for Rushdie's death.
Iran has offered over $3 million as a reward to anyone who kills Rushdie.
This is a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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