US Ambassador To South Korea Injured In Violent Knife Attack During Speech

The U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Mark W. Lippert, was listed in stable condition after he was attacked by a man with a knife in the country's capital Wednesday while giving a speech, officials said. The U.S. Embassy later said Lippert was in stable condition after surgery at a Seoul hospital.

Photos from South Korea's official news agency show Ambassador Lippert with blood on his hand and holding his bleeding face. A man shouted "No to war training!" before attacking him, the Yonhap news agency reported.

The ambassador was slashed on the face and wrist by the man who was screaming that the rival Koreas should be unified, South Korean police said Thursday, according to the Associated Press. Lippert was attacked with a 10-inch fruit knife, police told ABC News.

His assailant was arrested, according to Robert Ogburn, an official at the U.S. embassy in Seoul, who said the U.S. strongly condemned the "senseless act of violence." 

President Obama called him to tell him that "he and his wife Robyn are in his thoughts and prayers, and to wish him the very best for a speedy recovery," according to National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette Meehan.

Source: ABC News