Acquaintance: Fla. pastor who once planned Quran burning is on Friday flight to New York

Fla. pastor who planned to burn Quran on way to NY

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — An acquaintance of the pastor who once planned to burn copies of the Quran to mark the 9/11 anniversary says the Rev. Terry Jones is headed to New York aboard a Friday night flight.

K.A. Paul, a Christian evangelist who runs a ministry in Houston, says he bought the ticket for Jones to fly out of Orlando and land around 10:15 p.m. in New York. Paul provided The Associated Press with a copy of the itinerary and flight confirmation number.

Jones has said he planned to meet with the imam overseeing a proposed mosque and Islamic center to be built near ground zero.

Paul says Jones was able to sneak out of his Gainesville church without the media noticing.

Earlier Friday, Jones’ son, Luke, said that the Quran-burning won’t take place Saturday but couldn’t say whether there would be a future event.