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Florida: Controversial United States (US) pastor Terry Jones has burned more copies of the Koran and a depiction of the prophet Mohammed to protest theimprisonment in Iran of a Christian clergyman, media reported on Sunday.

According to reports Jones and another pastor, who carried out their protest in front of their church in Gainesville, Florida on Saturday, demanded the release of Christian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from an Iranian prison.

 Jones began to burn copies of Islam’s holy book and an image supposedly depicting Prophet Mohammed in front of his church, as seen in a 38 minute-long video on the website of Jones’ organization, Stand Up America Now.

About 20 people attended Saturday’s burning. Several Gainesville police officers were stationed across the street from the church.

Moments after the ceremony, the Gainesville fire department issued the church a citation for violating the city’s fire ordinances.

Jones was then handed a $271 fine, which included court costs.

He was fined because the Florida city of Gainesville has “restrictive fire ordinances,” which dictate that “books cannot be burned without authorization because of environmental concerns over the burning of glue and bindings in books,” the local fire chief said.

Earlier the Pentagon urged Jones to reconsider, expressing concern that American soldiers in Afghanistan and elsewhere could be put at greater risk because of the act.

In March 2011, Jones’ assistant, pastor Wayne Sapp, burned a copy of the Koran and broadcast the ceremony on the internet.

The images incited violence in northern Afghanistan, in which at least 12 people were killed.

Later, a man wearing an Afghan border police uniform shot dead two US military personnel.

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