The designations will be followed by their inclusion on the Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTO) list on November 20, 2025.
Why it matters: The move targets a transnational ecosystem of anarchist cells active across Europe. The designations restrict access to the U.S. financial system and expose individuals and entities to primary and secondary sanctions.
The groups targeted:
- Antifa Ost (Germany): linked to assaults on individuals identified as “fascists” or part of the far-right scene; accused of attacks in Budapest in 2023; labelled a terrorist organisation by Hungary in 2025.
- FAI/FRI (Italy) is the most structured and long-standing of the designated groups, with two decades of insurrectionist activity.
- Armed Proletarian Justice (Greece): responsible for attempted and successful IED attacks against government targets, including a 2023 explosive device near Greece’s riot police headquarters.
- Revolutionary Class Self-Defence (Greece): claimed two IED attacks between 2024 and 2025, citing anti-capitalist motives and solidarity with Palestine.
Zoom in: FAI/FRI, Italy’s anarchist-insurrectionist network. Italian security services describe FAI/FRI as a “horizontal” movement made up of autonomous cells united by an insurrectionist anarchist ideology and the practice of armed direct action.
- The group rejects centralised structures and embraces an “informal” model designed to ensure anonymity, operational independence, and the absence of vertical coordination.
The Italian context: Italy hosts one of Europe’s most variegated anarchist environments, ranging from non-violent libertarian groups to militant factions that openly endorse insurrectionist methods. Across these currents runs a shared ideological core: the rejection of state authority and hierarchical power structures.
- Active since the early 2000s, FAI/FRI is considered the leading expression of violent radical anarchism in Europe.
- It has claimed attacks against political, judicial, and economic institutions seen as symbols of the state or “capitalism.”
- Notable actions include the 2010 letter-bomb attacks on the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome and the 2012 shooting of Roberto Adinolfi, an executive of Ansaldo Nucleare, claimed by the “Olga Cell.”
- Much of FAI/FRI’s recent visibility is tied to the case of Alfredo Cospito, one of the network’s leading figures.
From Washington’s perspective, FAI/FRI stands out as a transnational anarchist node, capable of inspiring or connecting with groups in Europe, South America, and Asia.
What do the designations do:
- Freeze all assets belonging to the groups in the United States or under the control of U.S. persons.
- Prohibit U.S. individuals and companies from engaging in any transactions with them.
- Make it a federal crime to provide material support or resources knowingly.
- Expose non-U.S. individuals and entities to secondary sanctions for certain dealings with the designated groups.
The measures are adopted under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224. FTO listings will take effect upon publication in the Federal Register.
