Rushdie on ‘road to recovery’ after stabbing

Salman Rushdie is on the road to recovery and showing signs of his "feisty and defiant" self, family and friends said Sunday, days after a shocking assault left him on a ventilator with multiple stab wounds.

Just hours after Friday's attack at a literary event in western New York state, the British author had undergone emergency surgery for potentially life-threatening injuries.

But his condition, while still serious, has since shown clear signs of improvement and he no longer requires assisted breathing.

"He's off the ventilator, so the road to recovery has begun," his agent Andrew Wylie said in a statement. "It will be long; the injuries are severe, but his condition is headed in the right direction."

The prize-winning writer -- who spent years under police protection after Iranian leaders called for Rushdie's killing over his portrayal of Islam and the Prophet Mohammed in his novel "The Satanic Verses" -- was about to be interviewed as part of a lecture series when a man rushed the stage and stabbed him repeatedly in the neck and abdomen.

The suspected assailant, 24-year-old Hadi Matar from New Jersey, was wrestled to the ground by staff and other audience members before being taken into police custody.

He was later arraigned in court and pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges. He is scheduled to appear again on August 19.

Rushdie's son said the family was "extremely relieved" that his father was breathing unaided and had been able to "say a few words."

"Though his life-changing injuries are severe, his usual feisty and defiant sense of humor remains intact," Zafar Rushdie said in a statement.

The event host, who was on stage with Rushdie and was also injured in the attack, said he initially...