NEW YORK
Author Salman Rushdie — who was condemned across Muslim world for penning The Stanic Verses — has been taken off a ventilator, but may lose an eye, according to his agent.
Rushdie, 75, was stabbed multiple times by a lone attacker in New York State on Friday as he prepared to give a talk. His agent Andrew Wylie told reporters on Saturday that Rushdie was off the ventilator and talking and joking.
Earlier, Wylie said that Rushdie may lose an eye. The attacker Hadi Matar — a 24-year-old Lebanese-descent resident of New Jersey — is accused of running onto the stage and stabbing Rushdie at least 10 times in the face, neck and abdomen.
He has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and has been remanded in custody without bail. Following the attack, Wylie had said that Rushdie had suffered severed nerves in one arm, damage to his liver, and would likely lose an eye.
Wylie did not respond to messages requesting updates on Rushdie’s condition on Saturday, though the New York Times reported that Rushdie had started to talk, citing Wylie. Full details of Rushdie’s latest condition have not been disclosed yet.
