sir salman rushdie s agent has said the author is likely to lose an eye after he was stabbed on stage, ahead of a lecture in new york state. in a statement, andrew wylie said the 75 year old was on a ventilator in hospital. police have arrested a 24 year old man. no motive has been established but sir salman has faced death threats from islamists since the publication of his fourth novel, the satanic verses, in 1988. our north america correspondent, nomia iqbal, reports. the attack happened in full view of an audience. there was panic and confusion as sir salman rushdie lay injured on the stage after being stabbed. the suspectjumped onto the stage and attacked mr rushdie, stabbing him at least once in the neck and at least once in the abdomen. mr rushdie was provided medical treatment by a doctor who was in the audience, until ems arrived on scene.
the attack happened in full view of an audience. there was panic and confusion, as sir salman rushdie lay injured on the stage after being stabbed. the suspectjumped onto the stage and attacked mr rushdie, stabbing him at least once in the neck and at least once in the abdomen. mr rushdie was provided medical treatment by a doctor who was in the audience, until ems arrived on scene. mr rushdie was airlifted to a local trauma centre and is still currently undergoing surgery. afterwards, eyewitnesses said they were in deep shock. i was stunned by what i saw. i thought at first it was a stunt or some kind of play that wasn t funny. and then when i realised what was actually happening, i wasjust completely taken by surprise. people were rising up out of their seats and gasping, crying and screaming and this. unheard of thing was happening on stage.
a 24 year old man named hadi matar was arrested and taken into custody. police have carried out a raid at his home in newjersey. the motive is not known, but sir salman has long lived under the threat of being killed, and had to go into hiding for nearly ten years. his book the satanic verses, published in 1988, was condemned as blasphemous by many muslim countries. they considered his portrayal of islam insulting. iran s spiritual leader at the time called for sir salman s execution, offering a £2.5 million reward. iran has now distanced itself from that, but the bounty remains. sir salman rushdie has spent a major part of his life protecting himself from extremist threats, to only now find himself inside this hospital. in a statement, his agent says the author will likely lose an eye
over pay and conditions. the 82 year old who reaches new heights. nick gardner scales the final peak to complete his mission to climb all of scotland s 282 munro mountains. new york police say the man suspected of attacking the author sir salman rushdie is to be charged with attempted murder and assault. hadi matar has been remanded in custody without bail. sir salman remains on a ventilator in a pennsylvania hospital with severe stab wounds after yesterday s assault at a literary event. the 75 year old has been the subject of death threats from islamists since the release of his book, the satanic verses , in 1988.
nomia iqbal sent this report. the attack happened in full view of an audience. there was panic and confusion, as sir salman rushdie lay injured on the stage after being stabbed. the suspectjumped onto the stage and attacked mr rushdie, stabbing him at least once in the neck and at least once in the abdomen. sir salman was rushed to hospital and taken by helicopter to the neighbouring state of pennsylvania. he was due to speak at the chautauqua institute, a centre for arts and learning in western new york, which celebrates freedom of expression a value many praise sir salman for having. here is an individual who has spent decades speaking truth to power. l someone who s been out there, i unafraid, despite the threats that have followed him his entire adult life. it seems prime minister borisjohnson tweeted he was appalled that the author