A Cheshire florist has said he is not scared after his photograph appeared in an Islamic State propaganda magazine as an example of a potential target for terrorists.
Stephen Leyland, 64, became the unlikely target of death threats, despite “not knowing any jihadis”, after a photograph showing him smiling in front of his flower stall found its way into the magazine Rumiyah.
It featured alongside a caption urging the extremist group’s supporters to take “even the blood of a merry Crusader citizen selling flowers to passersby”.
The photograph was taken from the florist’s business website. He said his appearance in the magazine came as “a bit of a shock”.
Leyland describes himself as “The Flower Man” and an “old fashioned market trader” on his website.
Leyland told the Times: “When I was first contacted I thought it was a wind-up. I really don’t know what to do.
“I’m not scared but I am concerned that the photo is in this magazine. I don’t know any jihadis.”
Leyland was interviewed by counter-terrorism police on Tuesday about the incident.
The 38-page magazine incites violence in the west and even describes children playing in parks and old men buying lunch as “fair game”.
The magazine says: “Even the blood of the kafir street vendor selling flowers to those passing by is halal to shed – and striking terror into the hearts of all disbelievers is a Muslim’s duty.”
