Sirhan Sirhan, the man imprisoned for more than 50 years for assassinating Robert Kennedy, has been hospitalised after being stabbed by a fellow inmate in prison.
A statement from the California corrections department said the stabbing occurred on Friday afternoon at the Richard J Donovan correctional facility near San Diego.
“Officers responded quickly, and found an inmate with stab wound injuries. He was transported to an outside hospital for medical care, and is currently in stable condition,” the statement said.
The statement did not name Sirhan, who is 75, but a government source with direct knowledge confirmed to Associated Press that he was the victim. The source spoke under condition of anonymity, citing prison privacy regulations.
Corrections officials reported that the alleged attacker has been identified and has been segregated from the rest of the prison population pending an investigation.
Sirhan was convicted of fatally shooting Kennedy on 6 June 1968 at the Ambassador hotel in Los Angeles immediately after the New York senator – brother of assassinated president John F Kennedy – declared victory in the California Democratic presidential primary.
Many high-profile prisoners like him are housed in protective custody, but Sirhan had told prison officials several years ago that he wanted to be placed in the general prison population. He has been denied parole 15 times.
