Bin Laden's Trail

Rushdie's air ban

by James Doran
The London Times
September 27, 2001

The author Salman Rushdie believes that US authorities knew of an imminent terrorist strike when they banned him from taking internal flights in Canada and the US only a week before the attacks.

On September 3 the Federal Aviation Authority made an emergency ruling to prevent Mr Rushdie from flying unless airlines complied with strict and costly security measures. Mr Rushdie told The Times that the airlines would not upgrade their security.

The FAA told the author’s publisher that US intelligence had given warning of “something out there” but failed to give any further details.

The FAA confirmed that it stepped up security measures concerning Mr Rushdie but refused to give a reason.

Copyright 2001 Times Newspapers Ltd.

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