Author Salman Rushdie, a former Emory distinguished professor, attacked onstage in New York

Author Salman Rushdie appears at a signing for his book "Home" in London on June 6, 2017. Rushdie was attacked while giving a lecture in western New York. An Associated Press reporter witnessed a man storm the stage Friday at the Chautauqua Institution as Rushdie was being introduced. (Photo by Grant Pollard/Invision/AP)

This story was updated at 7:30 p.m.

Salman Rushdie, whose novel “The Satanic Verses” drew death threats from Iran’s leader in the 1980s, was stabbed in the neck and abdomen Friday by a man who rushed the stage as the author was about to give a lecture in western New York.

A bloodied Rushdie, 75, was flown to a hospital and was undergoing surgery, police said. His condition was not immediately known.