Sept. 23: The British police has arrested six men in Gateshead, north England, on suspicion of stirring racial hatred. The Northumbria police said on Thursday that it arrested two men on September 15 and four men on September 22. “The arrests followed the burning of what are believed to have been two Qurans in Gateshead on September 11. The incident was recorded and a video placed on the Internet,” the police said.
All the six men have been bailed by the police pending further inquiries, the Northumbria police said, without revealing the identity of the men. The video, which was uploaded on YouTube, showed six young men, either in hoods or wearing scarves over their faces, pouring petrol on a book and setting it alight, before burning another.
The police said it is still investigating whether the burnt books were Holy Qurans. The six men are shown cheering as the first book bursts into flames. The incident could have been inspired by Florida pastor Terry Jones.