Salman Rushdie On A Ventilator After Getting Stabbed On Stage In New York

Salman Rushdie rose to prominence after Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini declared his 1989 book ‘The Satanic Verses’ to be blasphemous. Rushdie went into hiding for over a decade until the Iranian government announced in 1998 that the fatwā, would no longer be enforced, but it remained in effect. Rushdie was recently stabbed on stage and is currently on a ventilator.

The 75-year-old author is on a ventilator and cannot speak. In an update on his condition, his literary agent Andrew Wylie informed The New York Times. He was attacked and stabbed on stage at New York’s Chautauqua Institution on Friday during a literary festival.

“The news is not good. Salman will likely lose one eye, the nerves in his arm were severed, and his liver was stabbed and damaged.”

Rushdie was stabbed “at least once in the neck and at least once in the abdomen,” New York State Police said in a news conference. Hadi Matar, who is 24, was later identified by police. The attacker stormed the lecture stage and attacked the Satanic Verses author and Ralph Henry Reese, who suffered a minor head injury. Rushdie was airlifted to a nearby hospital.

According to the Associated Press, Matar was arrested by New York State Police following the incident. Authorities requested a search warrant for a bag and electronic devices found at the Chautauqua Institution while conducting an investigation with the FBI and the local sheriff’s office.

The scenario was described on Twitter by author Carl LeVan, who stated that Rushdie “was stabbed multiple times before [the] attacker was subdued by security” and the crowd was evacuated.

We are all wishing Salman a speedy recovery. It remains to be seen who was behind this conspiracy, or whether his attacker acted alone. To get the latest updates, keep an eye on Thirsty.

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