Pastor Terry Jones Arrested Before He Can Burn Qurans

The notoriously Islamophobic pastor planned to burn a Quran for every victim of 9/11

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A Florida pastor was arrested on Wednesday while driving a pickup truck towing a large grill filled with kerosene-soaked Qurans to a park. The pastor said he planned to burn 2,998 Qurans, the Muslim holy book, one for each victim of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, reports the Associated Press. Wednesday was the 12th anniversary of the attacks.

Pastor Terry Jones, 61, and his associate Pastor, Marvin Sapp, Jr., 44, were both charged with unlawful conveyance of fuel, a felony. Jones was also charged with an unlawful open-carry of a firearm, a misdemeanor.

Jones first gained notoriety in 2010 when he planned to publicly burn a Quran on the anniversary of 9/11, though he eventually called the stunt off. His church did, however, burn a Quran in 2011, and he promoted an anti-Muslim film in 2012. All three incidents sparked violence in the Middle East.

The U.S. military has told Jones that his actions put American and Western troops in Afghanistan and elsewhere in dangers. Jones has repeatedly ignored their pleas to stop.

[AP]