Salman Rushdie taken off ventilator support, is ‘talking and joking’

Indian-originBritish author Salman Rushdie, who was stabbed on Friday at an event in New York, has been taken off ventilator support and has started responding and interacting,reports said.

Rushdie's book agent Andrew Wylie confirmed that Rushdie is able to talk again. Wylie had claimed earlier that the author may lose an eye due to the brutal attack while informing that the nerves of Rushdie's arm were severed and his liver was damaged in the stabbing.Author Aatish Taseer, in a tweet, said Salman Rushdie is“off the ventilator and talking (and joking).”

Rushdie was hospitalised after 24-year-old alleged assailant Hadi Matar rushed on stage at the Chautauqua Institution and stabbed him in the neck and abdomen multiple times.Matar, who police say is of Lebanese descent, has been charged with attempted murder and assault with a weapon. He pleaded not guilty in a New York court. The motive of the attack is still unclear.

People rushed to rescue the India-born writer as emergency services arrived on the scene. Rushdie was airlifted and underwent asurgery in a Pennsylvania hospital.

The attack was condemned by several leaders and activists around the world as European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said: "International rejection of such criminal actions, which violate fundamental rights and freedoms, is the only path towards a better and more peaceful world."

Watch |Author Salman Rushdie attacked:Politicians & writers express horror & anger

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan in a tweet said: “The attack on Salman Rushdie is appalling. We’re all praying for his speedy recovery."

(With inputs from Agencies)

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