Quran Burning Prompts Global Terror Alert from Interpol World Police

(Sept. 9) -- Burning the Quran on Sept. 11 would pose an increased risk of retaliatory terror attacks around the world, according to Interpol.

Today the world police cooperative based in Lyons, France -- which includes law enforcement agencies of 188 different countries -- released a global alert, warning that if the Dove Outreach Center Christian Church in Gainesville, Fla., goes ahead with plans to hold a mass burning of the Muslim holy book, it will likely produce a fierce, destructive backlash in unspecified locations, resulting in the deaths of many innocent civilians.

"Although there are currently no specific details as to what forms of terror attacks would follow, what is clear is if the Quran burning goes ahead as planned, there will be tragic consequences, ones which may well claim the lives of many innocent people," Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said in a press release posted to the agency's website.

Interpol issued its alert after a request from Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who early this morning released excerpts of a letter he wrote to the agency, in which he said: "Interpol must play its role to stop this heinous criminal act, as it will bring irreversible damage to world peace, especially when the world is fighting a war against terrorism."

Malik's letter also called out the organizer of the Quran burning, the Rev. Terry Jones, to call off the stunt, but Jones has so far refused to be swayed by high-profile pleas from numerous politicians. Even President Barack Obama was moved to make a personal overture to the pastor on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Thursday, calling the stunt a "recruitment bonanza" for al-Qaida, and saying that it could result in "serious violence in places like Pakistan or Afghanistan."

Pakistan is a key U.S. ally in the fight against terror in neighboring Afghanistan, and parts of its border region have served as sanctuaries for Taliban insurgents. The latest polls indicate that in Pakistan, al-Qaida is currently viewed more favorably than the U.S.

Just hours after Interpol's alert, the U.S. State Department released its own warning that terror would likely follow the Quran burning.