Writer Salman Rushdie lost sight in one eye and “helpless” hand after a stabbing attack in August, client says

CNN
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Writer Salman Rushdie lost his sight in one eye, and one of his hands was “helpless” following a stabbing attack in August, according to an interview given by his agent in a Spanish newspaper.

Rushdie, 75, underwent emergency surgery after being stabbed several times before his scheduled lecture at the Chautauqua Institute in New York on August 12.

Staff and guests then rushed to the stand and stopped the suspect, identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar, of Fairview, New Jersey, before the state soldier assigned to the event took him into custody, according to the New York State Police. .

Matar has pleaded not guilty to attempted second-degree murder and second-degree assault for the attack.

Talking to El PaisLiterary agent Andrew Wylie said,[His wounds] It was deep, but it [also] He lost the sight of one of his eyes… He had three serious wounds to his neck. One hand is helpless due to a nerve cut in his arm. He has about 15 other injuries to his chest and torso. Therefore, it was a brutal attack.”

Wylie declined to tell the newspaper whether Rushdie was still in the hospital and did not specify the last time he was briefed on Rushdie’s condition, according to an interview written in English. The most important thing, he said, is that the writer will live.

Willy also told El País that he had spoken with Rushdie about the possibility of such an attack in the past. “The main danger he faced after so many years of imposing the fatwa was from a random person coming out of nowhere and attacking [him]’ He said. ‘So, you can’t protect against that because it’s totally unexpected and illogical. It was like the murder of John Lennon.”

El Pais said the interview was conducted from a hotel suite on Wednesday evening during the Frankfurt Book Fair.

CNN contacted Wylie but did not receive an immediate response.