Salman Rushdieis facing a grim recovery.
The renowned author, 75, has been placed on a ventilator and cannot speak, his literary agent Andrew Wylie toldThe New York Timesin an update on his condition after hewas attacked and stabbed on stageFriday during a literary festival at New York’s Chautauqua Institution.
“The news is not good,” said Wiley. “Salman will likely lose one eye, the nerves in his arm were severed, and his liver was stabbed and damaged.”
A rep for Rushdie did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
David Levenson/Getty
New York State Policetook Matar into custody after the attack, according to theAssociated Press. Investigating with the FBI and the local sheriff’s office, authorities requested a search warrant for a backpack and electronic devices found at the Chautauqua Institution.
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RELATED VIDEO: Salman Rushdie Attacked on Stage in New York
The novel, which featured a fictional interpretation of the Prophet Mohammed and the Quran, drew backlash from the Muslim community. Khomeini, who died later in 1989, per theLos Angeles Timessubsequently issued a fatwā (a ruling on Islamic law) for his assassination, offering a bounty for whoever kills him.
Rushdie went into hiding for nearly a decade until the Iranian government said in 1998 that it would no longer enforce the fatwā, although it remained active.
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Salman Rushdie.David Levenson/Getty
Rushdie is the former president of PEN America.In a statement after the attack, CEO Suzanne Nossel said, “PEN America is reeling from shock and horror at the word of a brutal, premeditated attack on our former President and stalwart ally, Salman Rushdie.”
“We can think of no comparable incident of a public attack on a literary writer on American soil,” the statement continued.
source: people.com
