A Detroit prosecutor says the threat of violence is too high to allow Koran-burning pastor Terry Jones to stage a protest in the city outside the largest mosque in the U.S., Reuters reports.
Kym Worthy, a Wayne County prosecutor, filed a petition asking a judge to block the protest, arguing that it may incite riots. Prosecutors point to the “hundreds” of email threats the preacher receives as evidence of the poison directed at Jones, Reuters reported.
Jones has perviously stated that his targets are radical Muslims, not all of Islam. And in Michigan, he says he comes in peace, though he’s also bringing a gun.
"We have made it very clear that we are coming there with very, very peaceful intentions," Jones told WXYZ-TV. "We will be armed. We do have concealed weapons permits."
A hearing on the petition to block the protest is scheduled for Thursday, the day before the rally at the Islamic Center of America in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, which has a large Muslim population.
Jones made headlines when he recently reported burning a Koran at his church, sparking protests in Afghanistan that turned deadly. He previously had backed away from staging a similar burning on Sept. 11 under widespread pressure, including from the Obama administration.
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