Asaad Hanna is a Syrian journalist and civil activist who lives in exile in Istanbul. On 20 April 2015, during the early morning hours, an unknown assailant broke into his home and attacked him with a sharp object, stabbing him four times. Hanna sustained injuries and was taken to hospital, where he remained for five hours to receive treatment before reporting the incident to the Turkish police. He had previously received several threats due to his writings on Syrian affairs, and the attack is believed to have been an explicit attempt to warn him to stop his peaceful activities.