Author Salman Rushdie attacked on stage in New York

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Author Salman Rushdie, whose works have prompted death threats, was attacked on stage in New York state on Friday ahead of a lecture he was about to present.

Pictures posted on social media showed Rushdie lying on stage at the Chautauqua Institution as police and bystanders attempted to provide first aid. His condition was not immediately clear. Footage also posted to social media showed bystanders rushing to the stage in the immediate wake of the incident.

Rushdie is the author of several novels that won widespread acclaim, including Midnight's Children, which won the Booker Prize in 1981. His book, "The Satanic Verses," was the subject of controversy seven years later, with late Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issuing a fatwah calling for his death over the novel.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khomeini's successor, had a tweet deleted in 2019 which said the fatwah remained in place.​​​​​​​