Salman Rushdie attacked onstage at New York event

Author Salman Rushdie has been attacked onstage at an event in New York state, according to the Associated Press.

Rushdie, the author whose writing led to death threats from Iran in the 1980s, was attacked on Friday morning as he was about to give a lecture in western New York.

An Associated Press reporter witnessed a man storm the stage at the Chautauqua Institution and begin punching or stabbing Rushdie as he was being introduced.

The author was taken or fell to the floor, and the man was restrained.

Photos taken by an Associated Press reporter show Rushdie lying on his back, with a first responder crouched over him.

Rushdie’s book The Satanic Verses has been banned in Iran since 1988, as many Muslims consider it to be blasphemous.

Agencies