Man desecrates Quran outside Turkish House in New York

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) – An unidentified person threw a copy of the Muslims' Holy book, the Quran, to the ground and kicked it outside of the Turkish House in New York on Friday morning.

The Quran was desecrated at 10:46 a.m. local time (1446 GMT), Anadolu has learned.

Turkish House security personnel immediately exited the building, intervened, and removed the person from the premises, which houses Türkiye's Consulate General and UN mission.

The Quran in question was an English translation.

Officials from the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Diplomatic Security Unit (DSS) were informed about the incident.

A video circulating on social media shows a man throwing a book on the ground and trampling on it while shouting, "This is a Quran."

The recent Quran burnings in Sweden and Denmark under the pretext of free speech have sparked angry protests in Muslim countries, including attacks on diplomatic missions.

*Islam Dogru in New York contributed to the story