Nigella Lawson recalls MI5 ‘storming’ her kitchen over Salman Rushdie ‘assassination attempt’ fears

Chef had author over for dinner while he was under police protection

Nigella Lawson and Salman Rushdie in 2005 (Richard Young/Shutterstock)

Nigella Lawson has recalled the bizarre moment that MI5 stormed her kitchen after mistakenly fearing there had been an “assassination attempt” against Salman Rushdie.

Rushdie’s 1988 novel The Satanic Verses was the subject of a major controversy, provoking protests from Muslim communities in several countries. Death threats were made against him, including a fatwā calling for his assassination issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, after which the British government put Rushdie under police protection.

In a new interview with The Sun, Lawson said: “I’ve known Salman Rushdie since I was 23, and when he had to go into hiding because he had the fatwā , he came to have dinner with me when I lived in a very little flat.

“Special Branch, who were protecting him, had to go and sit in my bedroom and wait there. When I was cooking, something went wrong with my oven and it kind of blew up, and I ended up looking like Lucille Ball.”

She continued: “I had black-brown cheeks and of course Special Branch obviously thought there had been some sort of assassination attempt on him in my house. They all then stormed into the kitchen in an instant, so that probably is one of the worst blunders.”

The lamb she had been cooking was “ruined”, said the celebrity chef.

The Satanic Verses is Rushdie’s fourth novel. It was inspired in part by the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In the UK, The Satanic Verses received positive reviews and was a 1988 Booker Prize finalist. Many Muslims, however, accused the book of blasphemy and mocking their faith.