Salman Rushdie, one of the most famous writers in the world, was brutally attacked just as he was about to speak to an audience at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York on Friday. Rushdie was taken by helicopter to a hospital, according to New York State Police, where he is undergoing surgery.
Salman Rushdie hospitalized after attack onstage in New York state
Hadi Matar, 24, of New Jersey, is in custody, according to New York State Trooper James O’Callaghan.
Rushdie, 75, has contended with death threats since 1988 when he published his fourth novel, “The Satanic Verses.”