Sir Salman Rushdie’s injuries are still “serious” after he was stabbed, but his condition is moving “in the right direction”, the author’s representative said.
The 75-year-old man was taken to the hospital and underwent several hours of surgery attack on stage in Chautauqua, New York state, on Friday.
His literary agent, Andrew Wylie, said: “He’s off the ventilator, so the road to recovery has already begun.
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Witness rushes to help author after being attacked
“It will be a long time; the injury is severe, but his condition is on track.”
Sir Salman was stabbed about 12 times, including in the face and neck, the Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office said.
One of the injuries to the face had punctured Sir Salman’s eye. Another, in the abdomen, punctured the author’s liver.
There were also stab wounds to the abdomen and chest area.
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On Saturday, the suspect plead not guilty to attempted murder.
Hadi Matar24 years old, appeared in court in a black and white jumpsuit and white mask, hands cuffed in front of her face.
Hadi Matar, 24, arrives in court. Photo: AP
Attack
Sir Salman, who lives in New York City and became a US citizen in 2016, is the speaker Henry Reese, from City of Asylum, a residency program for writers living in exile under threat threat of repression.
They are expected to discuss America’s role as a refuge for writers and other artists in exile and as a home for free creative expression.
He was being introduced at the Chautauqua Institute when a man burst onto the stage and began stabbing him.
He fell to the floor as the suspect was crushed by spectators and staff.
The verses of Satan
Sir Salman’s book The Satanic Verses was banned in 1988 in several Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, after it was deemed by some to contain blasphemous passages.
Protests in Tehran in 1989 over the publication of Salman Rushdie’s book Verses of the Devil. Photo: AP
In 1989, then-Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a decree or Fatwa, calling for the death of Sir Salman.
The author has been in exile for many years, but told a German magazine earlier this month he believes his life has returned to “relatively normal”..
