Salaman Rushdie has been attacked by a knife-wielding assailant as he was about to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in New York State:
He was stabbed in the neck and airlifted to hospital by helicopter.
At this time, his condition is not known.
His assailant is in custody. Of course, it is suspected this attack was due to the fatwa against him, declared by the Ayatollah Khomeini when he published 'The Satanic Verses' in 1988.
When the night has been too lonely, and the road has been too long,
And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong,
Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snows,
Lies the seed, that with the sun's love, in the spring becomes The Rose.
Latest info: Rushdie was stabbed multiple times in the neck, but has survived the attack:
Rushdie suffered multiple wounds, doctor says
An doctor who was at the Chautauqua Institution event has told the New York Times that she helped treat Rushdie after the stabbing.
Rita Landman told the Times that Rushdie had suffered from several stab wounds, including one to the right side of his neck.
She added that a pool of blood had formed under his body on stage.
Rushdie was not receiving CPR at the time and appeared to be alive.
"People were saying, 'He has a pulse, he has a pulse he has a pulse,'" she said.
Rushdie still alive, says state governor
New York state governor Kathy Hochul confirms at a press conference that Rushdie is still alive.
Rushdie is "getting the care he needs" after being taken to hospital, says Hochul.
More information is being gathered about the perpetrator, she adds.
When the night has been too lonely, and the road has been too long,
And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong,
Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snows,
Lies the seed, that with the sun's love, in the spring becomes The Rose.
This makes it even more likely that the attack was due to the fawta:
According to the event's billing, Rushdie was due to be joined by Henry Reese.
Reese is co-founder and president of the Pittsburg non-profit City of Asylum, which was founded in 2004 to provide sanctuary in Pittsburgh to writers exiled under threat of persecution.
Reese had been inspired to start the organization after hearing a talk by Rushdie in 1997, according to the organization's website.
When the night has been too lonely, and the road has been too long,
And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong,
Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snows,
Lies the seed, that with the sun's love, in the spring becomes The Rose.
Good news about Rushdie! He is off the ventilator, and talking!
When the night has been too lonely, and the road has been too long,
And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong,
Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snows,
Lies the seed, that with the sun's love, in the spring becomes The Rose.
