CNN
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The renowned author Salman Rushdie has been taken off a ventilator and continues to recover after being repeatedly stabbed during an on-stage attack in western New York on Friday that left him hospitalized.
“He’s off the ventilator, so the road to recovery has begun,” Rushdie’s agent, Andrew Wylie, told CNN on Sunday. “It will be long – the injuries are severe. But his condition is headed in the right direction.”
The 75-year-old award-winning author – whose writings have for decades brought him death threats – remains in critical condition, according to a family statement released Sunday by his son, but he was “able to say a few words” on Saturday.
“Though his life changing injuries are severe, his usual feisty & defiant sense of humor remains intact,” the statement said.
Rushdie was preparing to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution on Friday when a man jumped on stage and stabbed him in several places, including the neck and stomach.
Staff members and guests then rushed onto the stage and held down the suspect, identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar, of Fairview, New Jersey, before a state trooper assigned to the event took him into custody, according to New York State Police.
The author’s injuries include three stab wounds to the right side of the front of his neck, four stab wounds to his stomach, puncture wounds to his right eye and chest, and a laceration on his right thigh, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said Saturday during Matar’s arraignment. Wylie previously told the New York Times the attack left Rushdie with liver and nerve damage.
Rushdie was airlifted to a hospital following the attack and underwent surgery, police said. The author may end up losing his right eye, Schmidt said.
“We are so grateful to all the audience members who bravely leapt to his defense and administered first aid along with the police and doctors who have cared for him,” the statement said, “and for the outpouring of love and support from around the world.”
Another speaker at the event, 73-year-old Ralph Henry Reese, suffered a minor head injury during the attack. He was taken to hospital in an ambulance and later released with a facial injury.
In a tweet Sunday, Padma Lakshmi, the TV host and author’s former wife, said she was “relieved” Rushdie is “pulling through after Friday’s nightmare.”
“Worried and wordless, can finally exhale. Now hoping for swift healing,” she said.
Matar pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault with intent to cause physical injury with a deadly weapon, his public defender, Nathaniel Barone, told CNN on Saturday.
The attorney said Matar has been “very cooperative” and communicating openly, but he did not discuss what was said during those conversations.
Matar was refused bail and remanded to the Chautauqua County Jail. His next court appearance is Friday.
He faces up to 32 years if convicted of both charges, Schmidt said.
The FBI is now working with local and international authorities to investigate the attack at the Chautauqua Institution, which happened in front of an audience as Rushdie was being introduced.
A witness, Joyce Lussier, was sitting in the second row when she saw a man leap across the stage and lunge at Rushdie. She heard people screaming and crying, she told CNN, and saw people from the audience rushing up to the stage.
Another witness, Stephen Davies, who captured video of the moments just after Rushdie was attacked, said he couldn’t tell if the attacker had a knife in…