A criminal case has been launched against a foreign citizen on suspicion of desecrating the Quran in the Russian city of Ulyanovsk, according to the Russia’s Investigative Committee.
The investigation found that the 28-year-old suspect stamped on the Quran, poured alcohol on it, and then tossed the Islamic holy book into the water, while filming everything on his phone, it said.
The investigators will ask the court for the man to be placed in custody pending a full probe, the agency pointed out.
A search of his home has also been ordered, it added.
The foreigner could face up to five years in Russian prison if he’s found guilty.
Last week, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin was gifted a copy of the Quran during his visit to the Juma Mosque of Derbent in Dagestan, known as the oldest mosque in Russia.
The Russian president said that burning Quran was a crime in Russia unlike in many western nations.