Controversial Pastor arrives in NY

As the United States prepares to mark nine years since the 9/11 bombings, controversy over plans for an Islamic cultural centre and a threat to burn the Koran by a Florida pastor lingers on.

The man at the centre of the controversy is Terry Jones, who has recently landed in New York with hopes of meeting the imam of the planned Islamic centre. He hopes to negotiate a settlement for the centre to be built elsewhere.

Surrounded by a throng of police, Jones declined to comment to reporters who waited for him at La Guardia Airport and followed him to a waiting cab.