New York, September 12: A controversial US pastor, who drew global outrage for his plans to torch copies of Quran, has vowed that he will never do so, even if a mosque is built near Ground Zero, the site of the 9/11 terror attacks here.
“We will definitely not burn the Quran, no,” pastor Terry Jones of Florida told NBC.
“Not today, not ever,” he said when pressed whether his planned move to burn 200 copies of Quran on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks may take place at a later date.
He explained that it would not happen even if a Islamic centre and mosque is built near Ground Zero, NBC reported.
Jones had earlier on Saturday suspended his plans to burn copies of the Quran, claiming that he received a pledge from a Florida Imam that the planned Islamic cultural centre would be moved elsewhere. However, the Imam refuted his claim and said the “deal” existed only in Jones’ mind.
–Agencies