The pastor of a small Christian church in Florida has apparently put off plans to burn copies of the Quran on Saturday on the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Pastor Terry Jones is said to only have fifty members in his church, but he has been at the center of the world’s attention for the past week. Jones made the announcement shortly after Defense Secretary Robert Gates phoned him from the Pentagon and told him that the event would put US soldiers at risk in Afghanistan and Iraq. During a televised news conference, Jones said his decision to cancel “Burn a Koran Day” came as part of a deal in which the backers of a proposed Islamic cultural center in Lower Manhattan agreed to move the center farther away from Ground Zero.

Terry Jones: “The American people do not want the mosque there, and, of course, Muslims do not want us to burn the Quran. The imam has agreed to move the mosque. We have agreed to cancel our event on Saturday, and on Saturday I will be flying up there to meet with him.”

Soon after the news conference Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and a developer behind the proposed Islamic center denied Jones’s claim about a possible deal. Jones then responded by saying he is now rethinking his decision to put off the Quran burning. Earlier on Thursday, President Obama discussed the controversy during an interview on ABC.

President Obama: “I just want him to understand that this stunt that he is talking about pulling could greatly endanger our young men and women in uniform who are in Iraq, who are in Afghanistan. We’re already seeing protests against Americans just by the mere threat” —

George Stephanopoulos: “What more could happen?”

Obama: — “that he’s making.”

Stephanopoulos: “What are you worried about?”

Obama: “Well, look, this is a recruitment bonanza for al-Qaeda. You know, you could have serious violence in places like Pakistan or Afghanistan.”