Writer Salman Rushdie is still in a critical condition in hospital, just two days after he was stabbed dozens of times in various parts of his body while giving a speech in New York.
On the other hand, his assailant has been arrested and is being accused of second-degree attempted murder.
However, doctors have announced that Rushdie has been removed from intubation and that he is able to speak, despite the many wounds caused by Hadi Matar, 24 years old from New Jersey.
Indian-born Rushdie has faced years of death threats over his novel The Satanic Verses, which some Muslims consider blasphemous.
For years, the Iranian authorities had ordered his murder because of his numerous writings, after the publication of the news that he was stabbed, official Tehran announced that the hand of the person who attacked him should be kissed.
Otherwise, Rushdie has been under police protection for years, and has lived with a false identity to avoid possible attacks.
