After being attacked at a speaking event, Salman Rushdie might lose an eye

Salman Rushdie, an Indian-born author who received death threats from Iran in the 1980s, was stabbed on Friday, and a 24-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder in connection with the incident. Rushdie, 75, was attacked in Chautauqua, New York, on Friday morning by a guy who barged onto the platform where the author was scheduled to speak, according to the New York State Police. Rushdie was stabbed in the neck and chest and flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital, according to the police.

According to Rushdie's representative, the author had undergone surgery, was on a ventilator as of Friday night, and may lose an eye in addition to having a damaged liver and severed nerves in his arm. According to police, Hadi Matar of Fairview, New Jersey, has been charged with attempted second-degree murder. The investigation is still ongoing, they added. The incident happened while the well-known novelist was a guest speaker at a lecture series at the Chautauqua Institution. A man suspect charged the stage and attacked Rushdie and an interviewer at around 11 a.m. ET, according to a police report. The culprit was arrested without delay.

Henry Reese, the interviewer, was given minimal medical attention for a head injury at a nearby hospital, according to State Police Maj. Eugene Staniszewski, and has since been released. Reese stood on stage with Rushdie during the attack and is a co-founder of City of Asylum, a residence programme for writers in exile. According to Michael Hill, president of the Chautauqua Institution, security requirements for events are evaluated on an individual basis.

At the news conference, he declared, "I would say we take our security measures very, very seriously. Due to the significance of this specific event, the institution claimed to have a state trooper and a sheriff's officer there. Like other participants, Matar had paid a pass for the occasion, according to Hill. According to Hill, the situation at Chautauqua today was unlike anything else in the town's nearly 150-year history. "We are called to confront hate, the worst human quality, and fear today."

According to the Chautauqua Institution's event page, Rushdie was in town to speak with Reese on how the United States acts as a haven for writers who are in exile. Rushdie has published 14 books, including The Satanic Verses, one of his best-known works, which in 1989 prompted the leader of Iran to issue a death threat on the author.

In addition to his writing, Rushdie has always defended the value of freedom of expression. Between 2004 and 2006, he presided over PEN America. Subsequently, he oversaw the PEN World Voices International Literary Festival for ten years. The incident startled the group, according to PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel in a statement. Rushdie had emailed her just hours before the attack to help place writers from Ukraine seeking asylum. "Salman Rushdie has been targeted for his words for decades but has never flinched nor faltered," Nossel said. "He has devoted tireless energy to assisting others who are vulnerable and menaced."