Audience members rushed to tackle the man who stabbed Salman Rushdie during an event in New York on Friday, new video footage of the attack shows.
As Rushdie was stabbed in the eye, likely being permanently maimed, dozens of members of the audience can be heard gasping and rushing to the stage, according to a three-minute clip documenting the incident. Meanwhile, several other audience members surrounded the author to begin treating him as several others watched from afar.
AUTHOR SALMAN RUSHDIE LIKELY TO LOSE EYE, ON VENTILATOR AND UNABLE TO SPEAK AFTER STABBING ATTACK
The newly released video was shared by an attendee of the CHQ 2022 event that was held in Chautauqua, New York, on Friday. The attendee said he began filming the video just seconds after the attack began when audience members witnessed a masked man storming the stage and physically attacking Rushdie, according to the Daily Mail.
Members of the audience are later heard applauding and cheering as Rushdie is assisted off stage and rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. Rushdie, 75, was stabbed multiple times in the incident, including in the neck and abdomen, according to police.
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The suspect in the attack was taken into custody and has been identified as Hadi Matar, 24, from Fairview, New Jersey, according to New York State Police. Authorities have not yet determined a motive, but they believe the suspect was acting alone, according to CNN. An investigation is underway, including an attempt to get search warrants for a backpack and electronic devices found at the scene.
Rushdie drew controversy in the late 1980s upon the publication of The Satanic Verses, a book that many Muslims believed to be blasphemous. He received many death threats, particularly after Iran issued a fatwa that asked all Muslims to kill him. A bounty as high as $6 million was also placed on his life, according to the Index on Censorship.
