Florida Pastor Canceled International Burn a Koran Day

Terry Jones, the pastor of Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida canceled what his 50-member congregation dubbed, "International Burn a Koran Day." The Koran burning was scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 11, the ninth anniversary of the attacks by al-Qaeda.

On Tuesday, General Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said in an interview, "It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort."

On Thursday morning, President Obama implored the pastor to cancel the event stating it will be "a recruitment bonanza for al Qaeda" and that what the pastor is "proposing to do is completely contrary to our values." The president framed that message as the "Commander in chief of the Armed Forces of the United States."

Jones stated he may cancel if the White House, State Department or Pentagon asked him personally to do so. "That would cause us to definitely think it over. That's what we're doing now. I don't think a call from them is something we would ignore."

On Thursday morning, the Obama administration announced they were seriously considering reaching out to Terry Jones to urge him not to go forward with plans to burn the Koran this weekend.

The FBI has been at the Dove World Outreach Center on numerous occasions since the controversy has erupted.

On Thursday afternoon the FBI returned for another sit down with Terry Jones, by early evening the pastor announced that International Burn a Koran day is canceled.

Days prior to the canceling, local police checked the identification and recorded license plates of everyone entering the church grounds, they also went door-to-door warning neighbors that due to the "significant incident" to occur on Saturday a checkpoint will be established near the church and "the sole entrance to your neighborhood will be shut down, and there will be no way in or out for an undetermined amount of time."

Why did the Florida pastor cancelInternational Burn a Koran Day?

According to the pastor he canceled the Saturday event because he struck a deal with Imam Rauf, the president of the Cordoba Initiative, to move his mosque from near Ground Zero. Jones said he will travel to NYC on Saturday to meet Imam Rauf.

Imam Rauf denied that a deal was made with Terry Jones and added he will not bargain over the location of the site.

Jones further claimed that Imam Muhammad Musri of the Islamic Society of Central Florida also told him that officials would guarantee that the mosque would be moved. Jones added, "I asked him three times, and I have witnesses."

Jones made no indication that the Obama administration contacted him as he previously claimed was a stipulation for canceling the Saturday event.

ABC reported that Defense Secretary Robert Gates called Florida pastor Terry Jones this afternoon to express his "grave concerns" about a planned Koran burning because it could place US military lives at risk.

In other developments, Donald Trump offered to buy Hisham Elzanaty's stake in the building that would house the mosque for 25 percent more than what Elzanaty paid for it.

Trump attached a condition to his offer: He said that as part of the deal, the backers of the mosque project would need to promise that any new mosque they constructed would be at least five blocks away from the WTC site.

Trump's offer was rejected.

As news of the conflicting reports of Imam Rauf and Pastor Jones' non-existent deal circulates, the cancelation of International Burn a Koran Day may also go up in smoke. Check back for updates to these breaking developments.

Sources, embedded in content.