Authorities in the United Kingdom said on Sunday they were investigating an online threat against author JK Rowling after she took to social media to support Salman Rushdie, the novelist who was attacked at an event in western New York last week. .
Hours after the attack on Mr Rushdie, who was stabbed about 10 times as he prepared to speak at the Chautauqua Institute, Ms Rowling said tweeted her condolences. She first wrote on Twitter: “Terrible news”, adding: “I feel very sick right now. Let him be okay.”
In response, a user with the handle @MeerAsifAziz1 replied, “Don’t worry, you’re next.”
The tweet was later deleted, although the account remained active as of Sunday afternoon.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said authorities had received a report of an online threat against Ms Rowling and an investigation was underway.
On Saturday, Mrs. Rowling, 57, who wrote the award-winning “Harry Potter” books, took to Twitter for keeping the social media account that made the threat active.
“@TwitterSupport These are your guidelines, right?” she wrote. “Violence: You must not threaten violence against an individual or a group of people. We also prohibit the glorification of violence…”
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Sunday, Warner Bros. Discovery, the entertainment company behind the ‘Harry Potter’ film adaptations, issued a statement condemning the attack on Mrs. Rowling.
“We stand behind her and all authors, storytellers and creators who boldly express their creativity and opinion,” the company said in a statement, which also includes condolences to Mr Rushdie and his family.
“The company strongly condemns any form of threat, violence or intimidation where opinions, beliefs and thoughts may differ,” the statement said.
mr. Rushdie went into hiding in 1989, shortly after the publication of his novel ‘The Satanic Verses’. The book, which contained fictional depictions of the prophet Muhammad, offended many Muslims and resulted in a fatwa, or religious edict, from Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s supreme leader, urging Muslims to kill the author. In 1998, the country’s president said Iran no longer supported the edict.
While Mr Rushdie was preparing to speak at the Chautauqua Institute, a man, later identified by police as Hadi Matar, 24, from New Jersey, stormed the stage and stabbed him. mr. Rushdie is in a hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania, and his agent said Sunday he was recovering.
Mr Matar has stated that he is not guilty of the attack.
