Charles Savenor/Local News X/TMX via Reuters
Several disturbing lapses in security preceded the stabbing ambush on Salman Rushdie at a talk in New York on Friday morning, according to witnesses and one former employee who told The Daily Beast he had long feared such an attack.
Among the shocking claims: No security checkpoint is required for attendees to enter the lecture hall at the Chautauqua Institution, where Rushdie was stabbed in the neck on stage, and bags were also allowed in the hall.
A “disgusted” former employee of the Chautauqua Institution, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said in an interview on Friday that these lax security measures—which he alleged remained in place against some employees’ recommendations—were bound to lead to an issue eventually.