LONDON — A British florist told of his shock at finding his photo in an Islamic State magazine, along with a caption urging militants to take "even the blood of a merry Crusader citizen selling flowers to passersby."
Stephen Leyland, 64, was pictured in the magazineRumiyah standing in front of his flower stall near Manchester in northwestern England. The image appeared to have been taken from his website.
He was interviewed by counter-terrorism police on Tuesday regarding the incident, British media reported.
Leyland, who said his customers included the soccer star David Beckham, told the Times of London that the police told him that Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, had asked about his appearance in the magazine.
Stephen Leyland, 64, said he was shocked and “didn’t know any jihadis"
“When I was first contacted I thought it was a wind-up. I really don’t know what to do,” he told the paper. “I’m not scared but I am concerned that the photo is in this magazine. I don’t know any jihadis.”He said his customers were mainly rich local residents such as soccer stars' wives.
The article in the 38-page magazine said that children playing in parks, businessmen on their way to work and old men buying food were also “fair game.”
“Even the blood of the kafir street vendor selling flowers to those passing by is halal (permitted) to shed – and striking terror into the hearts of all disbelievers is a Muslim’s duty," it said.
The Islamic State, also known as ISIL or ISIS, took control of a large swath of Iraq and Syria in 2014, but has lost some ground in recent months.
It is unclear if the Rumiyah has replaced another ISIL magazine, Dabiq, which has appeared sporadically of late.
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