British-Indian novelist Salman Rushdie was attacked on Friday as he was about to give a lecture in western New York, AP reported. A man stormed the stage at the Chautauqua Institution and began stabbing Rushdie as he was being introduced to the gathering. The author then fell on the floor. The attacker was taken into custody by security personnel, AP reported.


"A male suspect ran up to the stage at a speaking event and attacked Salman Rushdie and an interviewer in Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua. Rushdie suffered an apparent stab wound to his neck and was transported by helicopter to a hospital," said New York State Police.


A video posted online showed attendees rushing on to the stage immediately following the incident. According to witnesses at the scene, Rushdie fell through a barrier to the stage and was seen with blood on his hands, PTI reported.


Rushdie has received several death threats from Iran ever since his novel, The Satanic Verses, was published in 1988. The book has been banned in Iran as many Muslims consider it to be blasphemous. 


In 1989, Iran's late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, calling for Rushdie's death. A bounty of over $3 million was also offered for anyone who kills Rushdie.


Even though the Iranian government has distanced itself from Khomeini's decree, there has been anger against Rushdie in the country. In 2012, a semi-official Iranian religious foundation raised the bounty for Rushdie to $3.3 million.


At that time, Rushdie had dismissed that threat, saying there was "no evidence" of people being interested in the reward, AP reported.


Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen said she was "shocked" at the incident.


"I just learned that Salman Rushdie was attacked in New York. I am really shocked. I never thought it would happen. He has been living in the West, and he has been protected since 1989. If he is attacked, anyone who is critical of Islam can be attacked. I am worried," she tweeted.



A Fellow of the British Royal Society of Literature, Rushdie has received, among other honours, the Whitbread Prize for Best Novel (twice), the Writers' Guild Award, the James Tait Black Prize, the European Union's Aristeion Prize for Literature, Author of the Year Prizes in both Britain and Germany, the Crossword Book Award in India, the London International Writers' Award, and a US National Arts Award.


He holds honorary doctorates and fellowships at six European and six American universities, is an honorary professor in humanities at MIT, and University Distinguished Professor at Emory University. Currently, Rushdie is a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University.


His novel "Midnight's Children" was adapted for the stage and performed in London and New York by the Royal Shakespeare Company. A film based on "Midnight's Children", directed by Deepa Mehta, was released in 2012.


In 2004, an opera based on "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" was premiered by the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center.