Beard enthusiasts say they were mistaken for ISIS members
A member of a posse of beard enthusiasts in Sweden says he and his mates were mistaken for an platoon of ISIS militants, prompting a concerned citizen to call the police.
Andreas Fransson, a member of the Swedish edition of the "Bearded Villains" club, wrote in a Facebook post that the group was at the ruins of Brahehus Castle, all dressed in formal wear, to take a picture of the members holding the club's flag - a black banner that features the club's name and two swords crossing each other.
That's when two police officers showed up. The cops said that someone had called, claiming they had just driven past 30 "about 30 terrorists waving a ISIS flag."
It didn't take long for the officers to realize it was just a group of hirsute males, not unshaven militants.
"We had a good laugh with the cops, who had to respond to the call, but quickly saw that we weren't terrorists, out in the middle of nowhere, dressed in formal wear, hugging and laughing," Fransson wrote.
Fransson, the founder of ratemybeard.se, later wrote on his website: "It's sad to be mistaken for ISIS, but also good to get the word out about Bearded Villains."
On its website, "Bearded Villains" bills itself as a "brotherhood of elite bearded men from all over the world."