Quran Burning Pastor Terry Jones is #2 on Al-Qaida Hit List

The Florida pastor who made international headlines in 2011 for publicly burning a Quran on the anniversary of 9/11, [3] [19] is on the same al-Qaida’s terror hit list as the editor of the satirical French magazine who died in last week’s carnage in Paris.  [1] [2] Terry jones, the Quran burning pastor,  also has a record of speaking out vocally against President Barack Obama, including reportedly hanging effigies of him. [11] The controversial Florida pastor has received countless death threats as a consequence of his Quran burning stunt. He also had a $2.2 million bounty placed on his head by Al Qaeda affiliated groups in 2011. [11] The list was originally published in a 2013 edition of Inspire, al-Qaeda’s leading English-speaking magazine, under the heading “Wanted, dead or alive for crimes against Islam.” Inspire, which has distinguished itself through its slick graphic design and cheeky headlines like “How to Build a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom,” was the brainchild of the American AQAP members Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan, but has continued to publish intermittently since they were killed by U.S. drone strikes in 2011. [6] In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo’s attack, the hit list resurfaced on Twitter last week. French editor Stephane Charbonnier’s picture appears to be lower than Jones, who’s listed at No. 2. Chillingly, the infamous hitlist has reappeared on Twitter with a red X imposed over Charbonnier’s face. [16]

In case you’re not clear on what they want, exactly, the list also includes an image of one of the wanted, Koran-hating pastor Terry Jones, being shot in the head. Beneath that is the caption, “Yes We Can: A Bullet A Day Keeps the Infidel Away.”[13]

Althought he take the threats very seriously, he’s worried more about his new business than being attacked.   A total of 11 names appear on the latest version of the list, some of whom have had increased security detailing since the attack.  Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, whose security cover has been raised since the Paris attack. The full hit list is: Stephane Charbonnier, Danish journalist and former Jyllands-Posten editor Carsten Luste, US pastor Terry Jones, Kurt Westergaard, Geert Wilders, Lars Vilks, Flemming Rose, Morris Swadiq and Salman Rushdie, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Molly Norris. [16] The Paris attack, Jones said, simply reinforces his views on Islam (he once wrote a book called Islam Is of the Devil).  As a pastor, he wishes that all Muslims would convert to Christianity. But if you ask him that question as a citizen, the answer is a little different. “If you’re asking me as an American, then I have no problem with Islam—they are protected under the First Amendment,” Jones told Vice. [18] “I have no problem with them being in the country, building mosques, or evangelizing. I wish they would allow the same thing in Islamic dominated countries. They do not. I’ve always said of the Muslim community is that if they’re in America, they must honor and obey the Constitution, and not try to institute sharia law, which they often try to do.” [18]

Terry Jones moved his Dove World Outreach Center from Gainesville to Manatee County in 2011, according to the Bradenton Herald. [1] [2] He’s try to establish a specialty french fry outlet called Fry Guys Gourmet Fries at Manatee’s DeSoto Square mall. The business has been operating since Dec. 1, and mall manager Robert Tackett said the brothers have a 12-month lease to use a prime corner spot in the court to sell fries with a top-secret seasoning. The shopping center is a relatively quiet mall, with both a $1 Plus store and a $5 or Less store. There’s a dollar movie theater, a JC Penny, and a Hot Topic. The floors are tile and some of the ceilings glass, with pop music playing through the loudspeakers. Jones’s french fry stand is right on the corner of the small food court. [18]  His picture is featured prominently on the eatery’s wall, as well as in the company logo. [4] The mall’s management told The Herald that no one was aware of Jones’ controversial background when Fry Guys was renting the space it moved into in December. [1] The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office was also unaware of Jones’ new higher-profile location, according to The Herald.  Mall manager Robert Tackett told The Herald the mall’s parent company has no problem with Jones’ business — the rent’s being paid and the business helps the mall’s occupancy rate — but it’s clear from the tone of the article the news that a tenant in the mall in on an international terrorist hit list came as a surprise. [1] Jones, meanwhile, doesn’t seem worried about his fame – or infamy.  “If it doesn’t happen to be what certain people like, they will crucify you and try to put you out of business,” he told The Herald.  “We’ve always been concerned. I have about 400 to 500 death threats, and there’s an award for my life for $6.5 million,” Jones said.  [1] He said has contacted the FBI as well as local police to request additional protection, but doesn’t seem to know if it’s actually there.. [2] He would not comment on the security situation, but said “we’ve got the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office right across the street. I make one phone call and they are here in 30 seconds. Just like that.” [1] But he’s not hiding nor recanting his anti-Islam philosophy in the wake of the Charlie Hedbo attack in France.  “I will continue to speak out against Islam or even if you want to define it as radical Islam,” Jones told the Bradenton Herald. “I’m not putting everyone in the same box, but Islam itself is a very oppressive religion.” [1] [11]

Jones, meanwhile, said he plans on being at the food stand every day, at least until some new employees can be hired. [1] The Pastor dont take the situation lightly but he refuse to slide into fear.  “We’re not fearful, and we’re not going to run and hide,” he told The Herald. [1] [4] “If they (terrorists) come, we’re going to try to get them before they get us.” [2] However, that’s not to say the Florida pastor isn’t taking any precautions — especially since his french fry stand is located in a very public area. “I wouldn’t say we are scared, but we definitely are very cautious,” he told Vice News. “I am always armed—always.” [11]  “And I’m very careful when I travel, when I go to the parking lot at night, and when I go home at night. I think al Qaeda and ISIS, well, it’s a proven fact that they mean business,” he continued. “And it looks as though they are after those people on the hit list.” [11] Yet, he acknowledges that despite all his safety precautions, there is a possibility he could find himself in harm’s way. “I think it’s a possibility, sure. I think they could come to my house. You saw what they did there in Paris,” he told Vice News. “They just went about shooting innocent people in the street, and then of course when they went into that office. So of course, they can be expected to do everything.” [11] “People know how to get a hold of us,” he added in the interview. “They know where we’re at.” [11] A member of the local sheriff’s office told Tackett on Thursday that there weren’t any security threats to the mall due to Jones’ presence, the newspaper reported. “We’re aware of Mr. Jones being in Manatee County, but were not aware of his restaurant in the mall you mentioned,” Dave Bristow of the sheriff’s office told the Herald. [1] [4] The Web magazine Vice dispatched a journalist to go to Florida in order to interview the pastor at his new workplace. He reported that the fry stand stayed fairly busy while he was there.  While he was there he snopped here and there and talked to customers. He asked an older couple eating fries if they knew who was making their food.  Bob Koons and his wife, Jenny, from Bradenton, said that yes, they absolutely knew who Jones was, and supported him “150 percent.” [18] “I have a gun,” Koons said. “I think it’s about time Americans stood up for something.” Were they worried about the possibility of a terrorist attack in the mall? No, Jenny Koons said. You have to live your life. “An attack is always possible,” she told me. “You can’t dwell on that type of stuff. What am I going to do? Hide in my house?” [18]

Check out the WTSP report here.