The U.S. State Department is preparing to classify four Europe-based groups linked to Antifa as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specifically Designated Global Terrorists, according to information obtained by Fox News Digital.
This marks the first time the U.S. government has applied terrorism sanctions to organizations connected to Antifa operating outside the country.
The groups, active in Germany, Italy, and Greece, are accused of organizing or carrying out politically motivated violence, including bombings and shootings. The designation will trigger financial sanctions, requiring U.S. institutions to freeze any assets tied to the groups.
It also bars their members from entering the United States and allows federal authorities to prosecute anyone under U.S. jurisdiction who provides them with material support.
Antifa-linked violence in Germany, Hungary, and Italy
Antifa Ost, one of the groups identified, has been tied to a series of violent incidents in Germany between 2018 and 2023. German prosecutors have charged seven individuals connected to the group.
In a separate action, Hungary declared Antifa Ost a terrorist organization in September 2025 after nine alleged members were accused of attacking individuals in Budapest with hammers, batons, and pepper spray during a 2023 incident.
BREAKING: State Department to designate 4 Antifa-linked groups operating in Europe as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, Fox News Digital has learned pic.twitter.com/GC1FUaCdSh
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In Italy, the International Revolutionary Front, also known as the Informal Anarchist Federation, has been under scrutiny for decades of violent activity.
Authorities say the coalition has promoted armed resistance against state institutions and has been linked to dozens of criminal acts over the past 20 years.
These include sending letter bombs to government and industrial targets, planting explosive devices, and carrying out shootings, including the 2012 attack on a nuclear engineering executive.
Greece-based groups add to growing list of far-left threats
Two Greece-based groups, Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self Defense, have been connected to attacks on government facilities. In April, Revolutionary Class Self Defense bombed the headquarters of Hellenic Railway and claimed the act was carried out in support of the Palestinian people.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott described these groups as part of a long-standing campaign of violence led by anarchist and Marxist extremists tied to Antifa. He said the groups have used bombings, shootings, and riots to push a radical agenda in both the United States and other Western nations.
Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri, who had urged Secretary Rubio to take action, praised the move. He said the decision holds extremist groups accountable for enabling and funding political violence globally.
This designation reflects a rare step by the U.S. in using terrorism sanctions against far-left extremist organizations. European governments have traditionally treated such groups as domestic security threats rather than part of broader international terrorist networks.