Despite Ignored 'Deadline' FL Pastor Cancels Koran Burning

Update: GAINESVILLE, Fla. — An acquaintance of the pastor who once planned to burn copies of the Quran to mark the 9/11 anniversary says the Rev. Terry Jones is headed to New York aboard a Friday night flight.

K.A. Paul, a Christian evangelist who runs a ministry in Houston, says he bought the ticket for Jones to fly out of Orlando and land around 10:15 p.m. in New York. Paul provided The Associated Press with a copy of the itinerary and flight confirmation number.

Jones has said he planned to meet with the imam overseeing a proposed mosque and Islamic center to be built near ground zero.

Paul says Jones was able to sneak out of his Gainesville church without the media noticing.

Earlier Friday, Jones' son, Luke, said that the Quran-burning won't take place Saturday but couldn't say whether there would be a future event.

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After a two hour call deadline from Florida pastor Terry Jones to NYC Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf was ignored, the embattled pastor at the heart the Koran burning controversy has agreed to call of tomorrow's scheduled event.

"I want to be clear and confirm one hundred percent that there will not be Korans burning tomorrow (Saturday) at 6:00 pm as was planned," Jones's spokesman Pastor K.A. Paul said, according to Sky News. Instead, Jones would like to meet with Rauf to find a "peaceful and noble" resolution.

At approximately 1:20 pm ET, Jones and Paul announced two telephone numbers during a press conference and said that Imam Rauf had until 3:20 pm ET to call and discuss whether in fact the Imam is planning on moving the mosque slated to be built near Ground Zero. At that time, neither Paul nor Jones said what would happen if their challenge went unanswered.

Now, it appears that Jones has backed of his once hard-line commitment to burn Korans on the anniversary of 9/11.

Earlier in the day, Paul did admit that while legally Jones has a right to burn Korans, it is not the right thing to do. He reiterated that statement once the deadline had passed.