Sir Salman Rushdie speaks onstage at the Guild Hall Academy Of The Arts Achievement Awards 2020 at the Rainbow Room on March 03, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) NEW YORK - Salman Rushdie, the author whose writing led to death threats from Iran in the 1980s, was stabbed in the neck Friday as he was about to give a lecture in western New York.According to New York State Police, a man stormed the stage and attacked Rushdie and a person interviewing him.
The 75-year-old author was pushed or fell to the floor, and the man was restrained. The interviewer suffered a minor head injury.
Rushdie was quickly surrounded by a small group of people who held up his legs, presumably to send more blood to his chest.He was airlifted to a local hospital; his condition was not known as of 12 p.m.
Author Carl LeVan said on Twitter that he witnessed the attack. "Just witnessed the horrific assassination attempt on #SalmanRushdie's life," he said. "He was stabbed multiple times before attacker was subdued by security.