Max Blumenthal, a reporter who recently covered the funeral of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, says he was targeted online by Trump ally Laura Loomer while in Tehran. Loomer posted messages suggesting Blumenthal should be “taken off the plane by US Marshalls when he lands back in the US … [and] detained.”

Blumenthal stated, “I began to prepare myself for being harassed on my return.” He was subsequently singled out at the airport, where his cell phones were seized by border patrol authorities.

The incident highlights tensions surrounding journalists covering sensitive international events and the impact of online targeting by political figures.

Sources