Koran-Burning Pastor Calls Afghan Killings 'Tragic'

(Newser) – The Florida pastor whose burning of a Koran last month set off a deadly protest in Afghanistan today called the deaths "very tragic" but expressed no remorse about his stunt, reports the Los Angeles Times. In fact, Terry Jones said the mob's attack on a UN compound showed that "Islam is not a religion of peace" and called on the US and UN to "hold these people accountable." Read his full statement here. At least a dozen people were killed—some reports have the toll at 20—when demonstrators outraged by the actions of Jones' Dove World Outreach Center stormed the UN building in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif, reports CNN.

Among the dead were eight UN workers, including four Nepalese security guards. Two people were reportedly beheaded. Meanwhile, one of the participants who attended Jones' March 20 mock trial of the Koran, after which it was burned, brushed off blame. "I keep up with what's going on and I know that [Muslims] are constantly killing people, burning churches and killing Christians," she said. "Whether some guy in the US burns a Koran or not, it doesn't make any difference."