A controversial and outspoken pastor from Gainesville, Florida, was arrested Wednesday as he was going to publicly burn almost 3,000 copies of the Muslim holy book in protest of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Pastor Terry Jones, 61, wrote on his website that he was going to burn 2,998 Qurans in the Tampa Bay area Wednesday. According to Associated Press, Jones claimed he was going to burn one Quran for every 2,998 victim of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Jones and his accomplice, Pastor Marvin Sapp Jr., 44, were seized while driving a pickup truck with a smoker and trailer full of Qurans already soaked in kerosene.
Orlando Sentinel reports that they face charges of unlawfully transporting fuel and openly carrying a firearm, among other charges.
Jones is a Christian pastor who first gained national attention in 2010 when he announced plans to burn a Quran on the Sept. 11 anniversary, but never followed through with it.
Both pastors were booked Wednesday night into Polk County Jail.