CNN
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Writer Salman Rushdie lost one eye and left one hand “incapacitated” after August’s stabbing, according to an interview given by his agent to a Spanish newspaper.
Rushdie, 75, underwent emergency surgery after being stabbed several times before a scheduled speech at the Chautauqua Institution in New York on August 12.
Staff and guests then rushed to the stage and held down Hadi Matar, 24, of Fairview, N.J., before the state trooper assigned to the event took him into custody, according to New York State Police. .
Matar has pleaded not guilty to second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault for the attack.
Talk to El Paisliterary agent Andrew Wiley said:[His wounds] It was profound, but he [also] Lost the sight in one eye… He suffered three serious injuries to his neck. A severed nerve in his arm left him unable to move one hand. Additionally, he has about 15 scars on his chest and torso. So it was a brutal attack. ”
According to the English article in the interview, Wiley refused to tell the newspaper whether Rushdie was still in the hospital and did not specify when he was last updated on Rushdie’s condition. He said that the most important thing is for the writer to live.
Wiley also told El Pais that he and Rushdie had spoken about the possibility of such attacks in the past. is a random person appearing out of nowhere and attacking you. [him],” he said. “So you can’t prevent it because it’s completely unexpected and illogical. It was like the murder of John Lennon.”
El Pais said the interview was conducted from a hotel suite on Wednesday night during the Frankfurt Book Fair.
CNN reached out to Wylie but did not receive an immediate response.