Epress.am News from Armenia
A controversial Florida pastor, who made global headlines and sparked riots in Muslim countries with a ceremonial burning of the Koran, Thursday announced he was running for president as an independent, FOX News reports.
In a move unlikely to trouble incumbent Barack Obama or leading Republican candidates, Terry Jones told the International Business Times he was motivated to run because of the country’s harsh economic reality.
He also praised high-performing GOP candidate Hermain Cain, saying he would endorse the pizza magnate if his own campaign was unsuccessful.
The 60-year-old pastor, who is the head of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, said his campaign was in the process of hiring staff and fundraising, and had submitted letters to potential voters in 50 states.
Jones made headlines worldwide by videotaping a Koran-burning ceremony on March 20 — unleashing days of bloody protests in Afghanistan, where an attack on a United Nations compound left seven staff members dead.