Salman Rushdie has lost sight in one eye and use of hand after stabbing, says agent

From Sky News

The Indian-born British writer, who faced death threats for his novel The Satanic Verses, was attacked in August as he was about to deliver a lecture in New York state.

He was stabbed around 12 times, including in his face and neck, but the full extent of his injuries had been unclear until now.

In an interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais, Sir Salman’s literary agent Andrew Wyle said the 75-year-old’s injuries were “profound” and he had “lost the sight of one eye”. “He had three serious wounds in his neck,” Mr Wylie said. “One hand is incapacitated because the nerves in his arm were cut. And he has about 15 more wounds in his chest and torso. So, it was a brutal attack.”

Mr Wylie refused to reveal if Sir Salman remained in hospital, saying he could not give any information about his whereabouts. “He’s going to live… that’s the more important thing,” he added.

“The principal danger that he faced so many years after the fatwa was imposed is from a random person coming out of nowhere and attacking [him],” the agent said. “So, you can’t protect against that because it’s totally unexpected and illogical. It was like John Lennon’s murder.”