prince william and queen: Revenge fears for British troops serving in Afghanistan after anti-Muslim protester burns Koran on 9/11 anniversary

Last updated at 11:13 AM on 13th September 2010

Protesters ignore international pleas and stage Koran burnings
Tensions mount in Afghanistan where two demonstrators are shot dead

Fears were growing last night that British troops could suffer revenge attacks after U.S. protesters burned the Koran.

On a third day of riots in Afghanistan, Muslims said they would attack 'foreign bases' in their thousands in response to the desecration of their holy book.

Despite Florida preacher Terry Jones' U-turn over burning the Koran, hopes of calm were shattered on the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks on New York when others elsewhere in the U.S. adopted his plan to burn Islam's holy book.

Fury: Afghan protesters shout anti-U.S. slogans as they celebrate after learning that pastor Terry Jones dropped his plans to burn copies of the Koran

Revenge fears: Afghan men in Herat, Western Afghanistan, were enraged by the Koran-burning threat and took to the streets in protest

A lone protester at the Ground Zero site set several pages on fire, while in Springfield, Tennessee, two religious leaders held a private Koran-burning ceremony.

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The unnamed male protester at Ground Zero said: 'If they can burn American flags, I can burn the Koran. Americans should never be afraid to give their opinion.'

He was removed from the site by police but was not arrested. Footage of the New York burning has been posted on the internet and could be exploited by extremists aiming to stir anti-Western feeling.

The warning of retaliation came during riots in the eastern Afghan province of Logar yesterday during which men chanted 'Death to Christians'.

Counter-protests: Hundreds of demonstrators held a march outside Pastor Terry Jones's Dove World Outreach Center in Florida where the burning was planned to take place

Mourning: On the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks solemn New Yorkers gathered to remember those lost in the Twin Towers

Two protesters were shot and killed and seven wounded, one seriously, when Afghan security forces opened fire to disperse hundreds of protesters.

Mohammad Yahya, a protester apparently unaware of Pastor Jones' decision to cancel the burning ceremony, said: 'The Governor [of Logar] must give us an assurance that the church is not going to burn the Koran, otherwise we will attack foreign troop bases in our thousands.'

Some 150,000 Nato troops are stationed in the country, including 9,500 British soldiers who are engaged in battles with the Taliban on a daily basis.

In addition to the incident at Ground Zero, the Reverends Bob Old and Danny Allen in Springfield burned the Koran in private to defend the United States constitution and the American people, they said.

Sadness: Grief-stricken families prayed for loved ones who had bravely fought to save those trapped in the World Trade Centre nine years ago

Holding up a Koran at the event, Rev Old declared: 'It's about faith, it's about love, but you have to have the right book behind you.'

Old and the Reverend Danny Allen stood together in Old's back garden, responding to what they say was a message from God.

They soaked two copies of the Koran and one other Islamic text with lighter fluid, ignited them and watched the books disintegrate into ashes.

Old admitted that apart from Allen he had little other support - even from his family.

'I do this without the blessings of others,' he said.

'This is a book of hate, not a book of love,' Old said, holding the Koran, before setting it on fire.
'It's a false book, it's a false prophet (Muhammad) and it's false Scripture.'

Then the two conducted what Old called a 'peaceful demonstration' with little fanfare as eight journalists looked on.

Across the street from Old's home, three protesters stood holding signs that read 'My husband fights terrorism and your actions perpetuate it' and 'Proud of my country but ashamed of my neighbors.'

Ashley Parsons of Fort Campbell said she protested to show support for her husband, Matthew, who is serving in Afghanistan.

'It's been said by our military leaders and the president that these sorts of things cause harm to our troops over there,' Parsons said. 'Why would someone take a national tragedy and make it controversial? It's tragic.'

Both denied their actions were related to the 9/11 anniversary or the row about plans to build a Mosque near Ground Zero.

In Washington, a small group of conservative Christians tore up pages from the Koran to denounce the 'charade of Islam'.

Elsewhere there were signs of rising anti-Western feeling as Christian worshippers in the Indonesian capital Jakarta were beaten up and stabbed by suspected Islamic hard-liners.

U.S. president Barack Obama repeated his calls for restraint and religious tolerance during a memorial service in Washington during the weekend.

Emotional: Tears flowed throughout the poignant ceremony honouring the family and friends who died on September 11 2001

Risk: There are fears that British troops in Afghanistan could suffer revenge attacks in response to the protests in the U.S.

'They may seek to spark conflict between different faiths, but as Americans we are not and will never be at war with Islam,' he said.

'It was not a religion that attacked us that September day, it was al Qaeda - a sorry band of men which perverts religion.'

On Saturday, the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks, the names of the 2,752 World Trade Centre victims were read out loud in a sombre ceremony in New York.