Pastor Terry Jones Is Banned From the UK

LONDON -- He was the small-town preacher who nearly brought the world to a standstill when he planned a mass burning of the Koran on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Now, Pastor Terry Jones is back in the news: The British government says he is banned from entering the U.K.

Jones had accepted an invitation to speak next month to England Is Ours, a fringe anti-Islamic group with ties to the anti-immigrant British National Party. He was due to address protesters at a series of demonstrations against the expansion of Islam and the construction of mosques in the U.K.

But in a highly unusual move, British Home Secretary Theresa May put a stop to his visit. The home secretary has the power to exclude or deport anyone whose presence in the U.K. could threaten national security, public order or the safety of citizens, or if the person's views are deemed to glorify terrorism, promote violence or encourage other serious crimes.