'I would say we take our security measures very, very seriously,' he said at the news conference. Reese is the co-founder of City of Asylum, a residency program for writers in exile, and was on stage with Rushdie during the attack.Ĭhautauqua Institution President Michael Hill said security needs for events are assessed on a case-by-case basis. Eugene Staniszewski said that the interviewer, Henry Reese, was treated at a local hospital for a minor head injury and has since been released.

The suspect was immediately taken into custody.

According to a police statement, a male suspect charged the stage and attacked Rushdie and an interviewer at approximately 11 a.m. The world-renowned author was attending a lecture series at the Chautauqua Institution as a guest speaker when the incident occurred. He is being held without bail, police said.Īuthor Interviews Becoming 'Anton,' Or, How Rushdie Survived A Fatwa On Saturday afternoon, Matar pleaded not guilty, AP reported. Hadi Matar, of Fairview, N.J., has been charged with attempted murder and assault. Rushdie's agent said on Friday that the author had undergone surgery and was on a ventilator, with a damaged liver, severed nerves in his arm and that he could lose an eye.Ī 24-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder. On Saturday night, Rushdie's son Zafar wrote on Twitter: 'Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Rushdie was transported to a local hospital by helicopter with a stab wound to the neck and chest.Īuthor Aatish Taseer had earlier tweeted on Saturday that Rusdie was 'off the ventilator and talking (and joking)'. Rushdie, 75, was attacked Friday morning in Chautauqua, N.Y., by a man who rushed the stage where the author was to speak, New York State Police said. Author Salman Rushdie was attacked on stage as he was preparing for a speaking event in western New York on Friday.Īuthor Salman Rushdie was off a ventilator and able to speak despite the stabbing attack against him, his agent confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday night.

Salman rushdie anton