Pentagon asks Florida preacher not to back anti-Muslim film

The top US military official asked a Florida preacher to withdraw his support of the anti-Muslim film that may have fuelled the fatal attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Gen. Martin Dempsey called yesterday Terry Jones, who is known for inflammatory anti-Islamic rhetoric, to express his concerns about the film, saying it could inflame tensions and trigger violence.

US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the attack.

Dempsey spokesman Marine Col. Dave Lapan said Jones did not say whether he would limit or continue his backing of the movie, "Innocence of Muslims."

Stephanie Sapp, a spokeswoman for Jones, said the group was not going to show the film last evening and had never planned to do so. The group had planned to show an excerpt of the film on Tuesday night, but Internet difficulties made that impossible.

Jones' call to burn Qurans in 2010 caused Pentagon worries that it could endanger the lives of US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. He called off the burning, but his discussions triggered unrest in Afghanistan.

YouTube has continued to leave the video on its site but has blocked access to it in Egypt, where it also provoked angry protests.

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