Russian Suspect In Koran Burning Charged With Inciting Hatred

A Moscow man accused of burning the Koran is facing an additional charge.

The Moscow prosecutor's office said on January 21 that Aleksandr Sokolov, who was previously charged with hooliganism, has also been charged with publicly inciting ethnic hatred.

Sokolov, 23, was arrested last week and police say he will be kept in pretrial detention until at least March 9.

Sokolov has confessed to being one of the men in a video on the Internet that shows them burning a Russian translation of the Koran while cursing the Islamic holy book.

The video also showed the same men demanding a frightened young man on a Moscow metro train to "denounce Allah."

The man appeared to have been beaten.

Police have identified other suspects on the video and are seeking them.