Writer Salman Rushdie, who has been receiving death threats for years for his book The Satanic Verses, has been attacked in New York. The Booker Prize winner was speaking at a Chautauqua Institution event, the attack happened right after he was introduced. This is reported by the BBC and the Associated Press.

According to media reports, an unidentified man ran onto the stage and began to beat Rushdie "with his hands or a knife." The attacker was arrested. There is no word yet on Rushdie's condition.

Rushdie's The Satanic Verses has been banned in Iran since 1988 because many Muslims consider it blasphemous. A year after the ban, Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie's death. In 2012, the Iranian religious foundation 15 Khordad increased Rushdie's bounty from $2.8 million to $3.3 million.

Update 21:50. New York Governor Kathleen Hokul said Rushdie was stabbed in the neck, but he is alive and receiving the care he needs. A New York State Police officer who was present at the event detained the attacker.