Author Salman Rushdie was attacked at an event in the US city of New York on Friday just as he was about to give a lecture, media reports said.

The author’s writing led to death threats from Iran in the late 1980s.

According to an Associated Press reporter, who witnessed the incident, a man stormed into the stage at the Chautauqua Institution and began punching or stabbing Rushdie as he was being introduced.

Image credit: Twitter

The author was taken or fell to the floor, and the man was restrained, said the reports.

The New York State Police confirmed the stabbing and said he was taken to an area hospital by helicopter. The attacker is currently in custody, police told the media.

Social media posts showed people rushing to his aid on stage at Chautauqua Institution, about 100 km from the city. the moderator of the talk suffered minor head injuries in the attack. 

Rushdie’s book “The Satanic Verses” has been banned in Iran since 1988, as many Muslims consider it to be blasphemous.

A year later, Iran’s late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death.

Delhi-based British writer William Dalrymple was among the first to react, hoping that Mr Rushdie wasn’t hurt. “A terrible day for literature, for freedom of speech and for authors everywhere. Poor poor Salman: I pray he’s not hurt and recovers quickly,” he tweeted.