BBC News with Fiona MacDonald
The threat by the pastor of a fringe Christian church in Florida to burn copies of the Koran on the ninth anniversary of the September 11th attacks has
prompt
ed warnings of possible violent protests in other countries from both the international police agency and the US State Department. Interpol has issued a global alert while the US State Department warned Americans abroad of possible anti-US protests. Hugh Schofield reports.
In an official alert to its 188 member countries, Interpol warned of what it called a "strong
likelihood
" of violent attacks should the Koran burning go ahead.
Interpol said its initiative followed a request from the Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik who'd personally contacted its Secretary General Ronald Noble.
Mr Noble said that September 11th was a day when the world should come together to fight terrorism, not a day for
provocative
acts which will only
serve to
inspire more attacks against the United States.
And some news just in: the Florida pastor who was threatening to burn copies of the Koran says he has cancelled the plan as the group preparing an Islamic study centre near Ground Zero in New York changed their plans. Terry Jones said he'd be having discussions with the group.
Iran says it will release one of the three American prisoners who crossed into Iran more than a year ago. An Iranian diplomat at the United Nations named the prisoner to be freed as Sarah Shourd. Their families say they'd been hiking and strayed across the border by mistake. Kim Ghattas reports from Washington.