Funeral ceremony for former Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine, outskirts of Beirut, Feb. 23, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani

There are attention-seekers, and then there’s Jackson Hinkle — a man who has built a career on peddling Hamas propaganda, and whatever conspiracy theory happens to be trending on social media.

Now, he’s taken his online extremism into the real world with a trip to Lebanon, where he attended the funeral of eliminated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, seizing the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the Iranian regime’s most senior terror proxies.

This isn’t just another performative social media stunt. Hinkle, who has been banned twice from Meta platforms thanks to HonestReporting’s efforts to push for enforcement of their own community guidelines, isn’t just firing off tweets about his adoration for Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida — he’s an American citizen physically engaging with US-designated terrorist organizations.

Before paying his respects to Nasrallah, he traveled across the region, referring to Hezbollah and Hamas operatives as his “brothers.” And because no terror pilgrimage would be complete without souvenirs, Hinkle was spotted purchasing Hezbollah merchandise, proudly sporting the group’s signature yellow scarf.

Aside from highlighting the sheer depth of Hinkle’s ignorance (bear in mind, this is a man who had never mentioned Palestinians before October 7, 2023, and recently claimed Jordan shares a border with Gaza), his actions could also be illegal.

Under US Federal law, providing material support to designated terrorist organizations isn’t protected under the First Amendment. If Hinkle’s little terror tourism adventure involved financial transactions, coordination, or any form of logistical aid, he might find himself in legal jeopardy.

Material support specifically includes services and expert advice. Given Hinkle’s clear expertise at marketing and social media, is he providing Hezbollah with free publicity?

From Online Clown to Hezbollah Cheerleader

Hinkle’s latest stunt is just the latest evolution in his career of online grifting. Before October 7, he was best known for parroting Russian disinformation. His contradictory political outlook is perhaps best demonstrated in his self-description as an “American Conservative Marxist-Leninist” — a phrase that should have been the first clue that he’s less of a serious political commentator and more of a clueless provocateur.

Then, on the morning of Hamas’ October 7 massacre in Israel, something changed. Hinkle, sensing an opportunity, went all in on pro-Hamas propaganda. His reward? A staggering rise in followers, jumping from 417,000 to over 2.3 million in just a couple of months.

Yet, despite his track record of falsehoods, social media platforms have been slow to act. Elon Musk promised demonetization for accounts spreading misinformation, and while some of Hinkle’s most blatant lies have been fact-checked via X’s Community Notes, the damage has already been done. Hinkle has turned hate and disinformation into a lucrative business, and now he’s taken that act offline.

Terror Tourism or Something More? The John Walker Lindh Parallels

Hinkle’s embrace of Hezbollah might seem like an isolated case of a grifter playing revolutionary, but history tells us where this dark path can lead. Consider the story of John Walker Lindh, the so-called “American Taliban” who was radicalized by extremist ideology abroad.

It’s unlikely that Hinkle — who prefers to pair his keffiyeh with a suit rather than battlefield fatigues — will follow the same trajectory as Lindh. But the case of Lindh does, however, serve as an example of how the US government has previously used its laws to intervene. Lindh was ultimately sentenced to 20 years in prison for aiding the Taliban and was released in 2019 after serving 17 years.

But Israeli legal scholar Professor Avi Bell told HonestReporting that there would need to be strong evidence to show Hinkle had provided “material support” to proscribed terror organizations during his time in Lebanon.

Hinkle’s so-called terrorist “brothers” are not just a threat to Israel; they have been responsible for attacks on American and European soil as well. From Al-Qaeda’s 9/11 attacks to ISIS-inspired vehicle rammings like the New Orleans truck attack, extremist violence has spanned continents.

As tensions in the Middle East escalate, it is crucial to assess whether current legal frameworks are sufficient to address individuals who amplify and legitimize Islamic extremism under the guise of “anti-imperialist” activism.

Lindh’s case set a precedent for how US law applies when American citizens engage with foreign terror groups. The question now is whether authorities will recognize the risks posed by similar individuals before their influence leads to greater consequences.

The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.