The 57-year-old author tweeted on Friday that she was “feeling really bad” when news of Rushdie’s attack in New York state broke. In response, the user tweeted: “Don’t worry, you’re next.”
Joan Rowling. Twitter/@jk_rowling
LONDON – Police Scotland said Sunday they are investigating an apparent “internet threat” made to Harry Potter author JK Rowling in response to her tweet in support of Salman Rushdie after he was stabbed.
“We have received a report of an online threat and officers are investigating,” a Police Scotland spokeswoman said.
The 57-year-old author tweeted on Friday that she was “feeling really bad” when news of Rushdie’s attack in New York state broke.
In response, the user tweeted: “Don’t worry, you’re next.”
Rowling shared a screenshot of the response, asking Twitter moderators, “Any chance of support?”
“These are your recommendations, aren’t they? “Violence: You cannot threaten an individual or a group of people with violence,” she added.
The tweet appeared to have been deleted on Sunday.
The author also tweeted that the police had been informed.
The same Twitter account, believed to be based in Pakistan, also posted messages praising Rushdie’s attacker.
Hadi Matar, 24, was arraigned in New York state on Saturday, and prosecutors described how Rushdie was stabbed approximately 10 times in what they said was a planned, premeditated attack.
Rushdie’s agent, Andrew Wiley, said the writer was on a ventilator and was at risk of losing an eye, but in a report published by the New York Times on Saturday, he said Rushdie had started talking again, believing his condition had improved.
