Author Salman Rushdie attacked at New York event

KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/ AFP [File photo]

Author Salman Rushdie has been attacked on stage at an event in New York.

He suffered an apparent stab wound to the neck, according to New York State Police and an eyewitness.

A man rushed to the stage at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York state and attacked the Indian-born novelist as he was being introduced, the witness told Reuters.

The attacker was subsequently restrained. Rushdie was taken by helicopter to a hospital but his condition was not yet known, police said.

"We are dealing with an emergency situation. I can share no further details at this time," a Chautauqua Institution spokesperson said when contacted by Reuters.

Rushdie was at the Chautauqua Institution to take part in a discussion about the United States serving as asylum for writers and artists in exile and "as a home for freedom of creative expression," according to the institution’s website.