Man sentenced to a year in prison for burning Quran outside French mosque

By Ilayda Cakirtekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - A 27-year-old man was sentenced to one year in prison Wednesday after he burned a copy of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, outside a French mosque in Villeurbanne, near Lyon.

The Lyon criminal court sentenced the man, who was under psychiatric care, to nine months in prison, plus three months linked to a suspended probation from a previous conviction, according to broadcaster BFM TV.

The sentence also includes a two-year ban on appearing in Villeurbanne.

On June 2, the man entered the Errahma Mosque, took a copy of the Quran, and set it on fire in front of the mosque before fleeing the scene.