Solène Leroux, edited by Ophelie Artaud
This Friday, the British writer was attacked while giving a conference in New York State, in Chautauqua. Injured in the neck, he was quickly transported to the hospital, where he is still this Saturday morning, in serious condition. A 24-year-old suspect from New Jersey has been arrested. Back to the unfolding of events.
Writer Salman Rushdie was attacked by a man this Friday during a conference in New York State. The British author is this Saturday morning still hospitalized in serious condition. He had become the symbol of the fight for freedom of expression after the publication of his controversial work “The Satanic Verses”. This publication earned him a fatwa in 1989, an Islamic decision from the Iranian Ayatollah Khomeini, which is still running 30 years later. His attack shocked the spectators present on the spot.
Security “fairly light”, according to the police
Salman Rushdie is on stage. He is to speak at a conference featuring exiled writers. Around 11 a.m. local time, the British author is about to speak. “Salman Rushdie arrived. We were excited to hear him speak and all of a sudden this guy came out of nowhere and started stabbing and beating him. Everyone was shocked and horrified,” a witness said. the scene.
Video images posted on social networks show spectators rushing on stage to help someone seen on the ground. Salman Rushdie is injured in the neck and abdomen. The person who was to give him the floor is also slightly hit in the head. The aggressor is then arrested by a policeman who was attending the conference. “I would like to congratulate the State Police. A State Police officer got up and saved his life,” said Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York State. The room is then very quickly evacuated, while Salman Rushdie is transported to the hospital by helicopter. Security was “pretty light”, police later explained. The suspect is 24 years old from New Jersey. For the moment, we do not know his motivations.