An obscure US Christian pastor has called off his plan to burn copies of the Koran this weekend, saying he had obtained a deal that involved moving the planned location of an Islamic cultural centre in New York.
Terry Jones, who heads the tiny, little-known Dove World Outreach Center church based in Gainesville, Florida, told reporters an Islamic leader in New York had agreed to shift the planned site of the Muslim centre and mosque away from near the Ground Zero location of the 11 September 2001 attacks.
'The imam has agreed to move the mosque, we have agreed to cancel our event on Saturday,' Jones told reporters outside his church.
He was accompanied by imam Muhammad Musri, head of the Islamic Society of Central Florida.
But in New York, sources close to New York imam Feisal Abdul Rauf said there was no agreement to move the site of the proposed Muslim cultural centre in the city.
'There has been no agreement. There have been no discussions with this pastor,' said one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The planned location of the project has been opposed by many who have said it is insensitive to families of the victims of the 2001 attacks by the militant Islamist group al-Qaeda.
'I, with the imam (Musri), will be flying up there (New York) on Saturday to meet with the imam (Feisal Abdul Rauf) at the Ground Zero mosque,' Jones said.
The Koran-burning planned for Saturday on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the United States triggered worldwide condemnation and outrage, protests in some Muslim countries and warnings that Americans abroad could face violent retaliation.
The international police agency Interpol earlier warned governments worldwide of an increased risk of terrorist attacks if the planned burning of the Koran went ahead.
'If the proposed Koran burning by a pastor in the US goes ahead as planned, there is a strong likelihood that violent attacks on innocent people would follow,' Interpol said in a statement, adding that it was acting partly on a request from Pakistan.
US President Barack Obama condemned the plan, claiming it was a 'recruitment bonanza' for al-Qaeda.
Mr Obama has said that it was a 'destructive' and dangerous plan and said it could trigger a wave of extremist violence.
In an interview with ABC's 'Good Morning America' programme, Mr Obama warned that the backlash could 'result in serious violence in places like Pakistan or Afghanistan.'
