A day after it was reported that Salman Rushdie was on ventilator support, his agent Andrew Wylie informed the media about the improvement in the health condition of the acclaimed novelist.
Wylie stated that ‘The Satanic Verses’ novelist is able to speak and have been taken off ventilator. Michael Hill, the President of the Chautauqua Institution, tweeted, “Salman Rushdie off ventilator and talking! Continued prayers from all.”
@SalmanRushdie off ventilator and talking! Continued prayers from all @chq
— Michael Hill, Ed.D. (@MichaelHillCHQ) August 14, 2022
Novelist Hari Kunzru wrote, “Andrew Wylie has given a statement to the press and confirmed that Salman has been taken off the ventilator. It seems that the worst outcome has been avoided.”
Andrew Wylie has given a statement to the press and confirmed that Salman has been taken off the ventilator. It seems that the worst outcome has been avoided.
— Hari Kunzru (@harikunzru) August 14, 2022
On August 13, Andrew Wylie informed that Salman Rushdie was in a critical state. He added that Rushdie was on ventilator support and that he could not speak. “The news is not good. Salman will likely lose one eye; the nerves in his arm were severed, and his liver was stabbed and damaged,” Wylie had stated.
Attacker Hadi Matar charged with assault, attempt to murder
The man involved in the attack on ‘The Satanic Verses’ novelist was identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar. A resident of Fairview in New Jersey, Hadi jumped onto the stage and attacked the novelist with a knife.
The prosecutors informed that the assailant was formally charged with assault and attempted murder. Chautauqua district attorney, Jason Schmidt, stated, “The individual responsible for the attack yesterday, Hadi Mattar, has now been formally charged with Attempted Murder in the Second Degree and Assault in the Second Degree.”
“He was arraigned on these charges last night and remanded without bail,” he further added.
He has pled not guilty to attempted murder.
The deadly attack on Salman Rushdie
On Friday (August 12), Salman Rushdie was attacked during an event at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York. He received multiple stab wounds, one to his neck and another to his abdomen.
The accused Hadi Matar reportedly had a pass for the event where Rushdie was invited to deliver a lecture.The authorities had also seized a backpack, belonging to the accused, from the crime scene.
As per a report by New York Times, the local police have sought help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation for determining the background and motives of Hadi Matar. In the aftermath of the deadly attack, several Islamists from Pakistan took to social media to celebrate the incident and hail the assailant as a ‘Ghazi.’
