Death Threats : Author Stabbed Twice Before Presentation

While on stage at an event in New York state, seventy-five-years old Indian-born British author Salman Rushdie who has faced death threats for his novel The Satanic Verses, has been stabbed twice.

The controversial author was stabbed in the neck and once in the tummy.

Salman Rushdie has been airlifted to hospital but his condition is not yet known. He is still undergoing surgery.

The 75-year-old was about to give a lecture when a man stormed the stage at the Chautauqua Institution and began attacking Sir Salman as he was being introduced to the audience, according to witnesses.

The novelist fell to the floor after being attacked by the suspect, who was then pinned down by audience members and staff members who ran on stage. The suspect was arrested by a state trooper soon after and he is now in custody.

He has been identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar from Fairview, New Jersey, who bought a pass for the event. Police say they do not yet know a motive for the assault but they believe he was acting alone.

Witness Pilar Pintagro told Sky News: "We were very scared because the first place (he was stabbed) was in the neck and that's where the blood started to splash everywhere, and then he stabbed him in the shoulders and continued stabbing several times because it was so fast.

"People from the audience actually jumped on to the stage to try to put him down and Salman was trying to walk away from him this guy but he continued stabbing several times, and he was finally pinned down."

The writer was helped by a doctor who was in the audience before emergency services arrived.