Civil Liberties

Police Arrest Pastor Terry Jones While Allegedly on His Way to Burn 3,000 Qurans at Local Park

His way of protesting 9/11

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Law enforcement officers arrested a Florida pastor Wednesday as he drove to a park to light nearly 3,000 Qurans on fire to protest the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Sheriff's deputies arrested Pastor Terry Jones, 61, and his associate pastor, Marvin Sapp Jr., 44, each on a felony charge of unlawful conveyance of fuel as they travelled in a pickup truck towing a large barbecue-style grill filled with Qurans soaked in kerosene. Jones had said he was heading to a nearby park to burn 2,998 Qurans — one for every victim of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Sheriff's officials said Wednesday night that Jones was also charged with unlawful open-carry of a firearm, a misdemeanour, and that Sapp faces a charge of having no valid registration for the trailer.