A British reporter based in London has found himself on the receiving end of widespread ridicule after placing a £50,000 ($90,000) bounty on his own head in response to the London terror attacks.
Andre Walker, a columnist for the New York Observer, tweeted a photo of himself wielding what appeared to be a ninjitsu sword in front of the Thames River, the London Eye in the background.
The caption on the tweet, which has now been deleted, read: "A bounty on my head. Any #ISIS terrorist that kills me gets £50k. I'll give my address. No police. But I've got a sword. Good luck."
The challenge follows a brutal terror attack on London Bridge on Saturday night (local time) that killed seven people and wounded 48 others, including Kiwi Oliver Dowling.
In a later tweet, the political writer added: "I'm not worried about looking silly, nor am I worried about #ISIS... Come on lads, have a crack."
The original post was immediately mocked on Twitter for its absurdity - with many producing spoof versions of the picture that sparked social media frenzy.
In an opinion piece written for the Observer just hours later, Walker claimed he was "the first person to put a bounty on their own head and ask a Jihadi to discharge the grim duty" - but insisted he is "not mad, nor do I believe I will die anytime soon".
"I've had three million views on my Twitter today, but not one request to fight me. Most newspapers said they'd win - and maybe they would - but they don't have the guts to try," he wrote.
"Last night I did not cower at home; I went out with my friends in London. Tomorrow, when you go out, think to yourself that the 'terrorists' were so terrifying they wouldn't even take on a middle-aged fat guy with a sword."
Walker has still yet to receive interest in a one-on-one battle from an IS fighter - but as he noted, they believe "stabbing people in the street is bravery", so it's unlikely they will ever take him up on his offer.
Newshub.
