United States Department of State list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations explained

Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) is a designation for non-United States-based organizations deemed by the United States secretary of state, in accordance with section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (INA), to be involved in what US authorities define as terrorist activities. Most of the organizations on the list are Islamist extremist groups; the rest are nationalist/separatist groups, or Marxist militant groups.

The Department of State, along with the United States Department of the Treasury, also has the authority to designate individuals and entities as subject to counter-terrorism sanctions according to Executive Order 13224. The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) maintains a separate list of such individuals and entities.^[1]

Identification of candidates

The Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism (CT) of the United States Department of State continually monitors the activities of groups active around the world to identify targets for the "terrorist" designation. When reviewing potential targets, S/CT looks at the actual attacks that a group has carried out, as well as whether the group has engaged in planning and preparations for possible future acts of violence or retains the capability and intent to carry out such acts.^[2]

Designation process

Once a target is identified, the Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism prepares a detailed "administrative record", which is a compilation of information, typically including both classified and open sources information, demonstrating that the statutory criteria for designation have been satisfied.^[3] If the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, decides to make the designation, the United States Congress is notified of the Secretary's intent to designate the organization and given seven days to review the designation, as the INA requires. Upon the expiration of the seven-day waiting period, notice of the designation is published in the Federal Register, at which point the designation takes effect. An organization designated as an FTO may seek judicial review of the designation in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit not later than 30 days after the designation is published in the Federal Register.

Under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, the FTO may file a petition for revocation two years after the designation date (or in the case of redesignated FTOs, its most recent redesignation date) or two years after the determination date on its most recent petition for revocation. In order to provide a basis for revocation, the petitioning FTO must provide evidence that the circumstances forming the basis for the designation are sufficiently different as to warrant revocation. If no such review has been conducted during a five-year period with respect to a designation, then the Secretary of State is required to review the designation to determine whether revocation would be appropriate.

The procedural requirements for designating an organization as an FTO also apply to any redesignation of that organization. The Secretary of State may revoke a designation or redesignation at any time upon a finding that the circumstances that were the basis for the designation or redesignation have changed in such a manner as to warrant revocation, or that the national security of the United States warrants a revocation. The same procedural requirements apply to revocations made by the Secretary of State as apply to designations or redesignations. A designation may also be revoked by an Act of Congress, or set aside by a Court order.^[2]

Legal criteria for designation

(Reflecting Amendments to Section 219 of the INA in the 2001 USA PATRIOT Act)

• It must be a foreign organization.
• The organization must engage in terrorist activity, as defined in section 212 (a)(3)(B) of the INA (8 U.S.C. § 1182(a) (3)(B)),* or terrorism, as defined in section 140(d)(2) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989 (22 U.S.C. § 2656f(d) (2)),** or retain the capability and intent to engage in terrorist activity or terrorism.
• The organization's terrorist activity or terrorism must threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security (national defense, foreign relations, or the economic interests) of the United States.^[4]

Legal ramifications of designation

• It is unlawful for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide "material support or resources" to a designated FTO.^[5] (The term "material support or resources" is defined in 18 U.S.C. § 2339A(b) as "currency or monetary instruments or financial securities, financial services, lodging, training, expert advice or assistance, safehouses, false documentation or identification, communications equipment, facilities, weapons, lethal substances, explosives, personnel, transportation, and other physical assets, except medicine or religious materials.")
• Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances, removable from the United States (see 8 U.S.C. §§ 1182 (a)(3)(B)(i)(IV)-(V), 1227 (a)(1)(A)).
• Any U.S. financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which a designated FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.^[4]

Other effects of designation

The U.S. Department of State lists the following items as additional considered beneficial effects of designation:^[6]

• Supports efforts to curb terrorism financing and to encourage other nations to do the same.
• Stigmatizes and isolates designated terrorist organizations internationally.
• Deters donations or contributions to and economic transactions with named organizations.
• Heightens public awareness and knowledge of terrorist organizations.
• Signals to other governments U.S. concern about named organizations.

Official designation of a group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization also triggers more robust means of combat under the Authorization for Use of Military Force act enacted in 2001, which is still in force today.^[7]

Groups designated as FTOs

the following organizations are designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations:^[8]

Date added!scope="col" style="white-space: nowrap;"

Name	Region	Area of operations	Notes
October 8, 1997	Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)	Asia	Philippines
	Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement)	Middle East	Palestinian Territories
	Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM)	Asia	Pakistan
	Hezbollah	Middle East	Lebanon
	Kongra-Gel (formerly Kurdistan Workers' Party) (KGK)		Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria	Formerly PKK, KADEK. .
	Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)	Asia	Sri Lanka, India	62 FR 52650
	National Liberation Army (ELN)	South America	Colombia
	Palestine Liberation Front (PLF)	Middle East	Palestinian Territories
	Islamic Jihad Group
	Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
	PFLP-General Command (PFLP-GC)
	Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C)		Turkey
	Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso, SL)	South America	Peru
October 8, 1999	al-Qa'ida	Worldwide	Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia
September 25, 2000	Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU)	Asia	Uzbekistan, Afghanistan
May 16, 2001	Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA)	Europe	Ireland, United Kingdom	Associated with 32 County Sovereignty Movement (32CSM)
December 26, 2001	Jaish-e-Mohammed (Army of Mohammed) (JEM)	Asia	Pakistan
	Lashkar-e Tayyiba (Army of the Righteous) (LET)			Later amended to include the Milli Muslim League.^[9]
March 27, 2002	Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades	Middle East	Palestinian Territories
	Asbat an-Ansar		Lebanon
	al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb	Africa, Middle East	Algeria, Mali, Niger	(formerly GSPC)
August 9, 2002	Communist Party of the Philippines/New People's Army (CPP/NPA)	Asia	Philippines
October 23, 2002	Jemaah Islamiyah (JI)		Indonesia	Also in Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore
January 30, 2003	Lashkar i Jhangvi		Pakistan
March 22, 2004	Ansar al-Islam	Middle East	Iraq
July 13, 2004	Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA)	Europe	Ireland, United Kingdom
December 17, 2004	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (formerly Al-Qaeda in Iraq aka Tanzim Qa'idat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn (QJBR))	Worldwide	Iraq, Syria, Libya, Nigeria	Formerly Jama'at al-Tawhid wa'al-Jihad, JTJ, al-Zarqawi Network. Al-Nusra Front is considered an alias of Al-Qaeda in Iraq^[10]
June 17, 2005	Islamic Jihad Union (IJU)	Asia	Uzbekistan
March 5, 2008	Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HUJI-B)		Bangladesh
March 18, 2008	Al-Shabaab	Africa	Somalia, Yemen, Mozambique
May 18, 2009	Revolutionary Struggle	Europe	Greece
July 2, 2009	Kata'ib Hezbollah	Middle East	Iraq
January 19, 2010	al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)		Saudi Arabia
August 6, 2010	Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HUJI)	Asia	Bangladesh
September 1, 2010	Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP)		Pakistan
November 4, 2010	Jaish ul-Adl (formerly Jundallah)		Iran
May 23, 2011	Army of Islam (Palestinian)^[11]	Middle East	Palestinian Territories
September 19, 2011	Indian Mujahideen (IM) (India)	Asia	India
	Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT)		Indonesia
May 30, 2012	Abdullah Azzam Brigades	Middle East	Iraq
September 19, 2012	Haqqani Network (HQN)	Asia	Afghanistan, Pakistan
March 22, 2013	Ansar Dine (AAD)	Africa	Mali
November 14, 2013	Boko Haram		Nigeria
	Ansaru
December 19, 2013	al-Mulathamun Brigade		Algeria
January 13, 2014	Ansar al-Shari'a in Benghazi		Libya
	Ansar al-Shari'a in Darnah
	Ansar al-Shari'a in Tunisia		Tunisia
April 10, 2014	ISIL Sinai Province (formerly Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis)	Africa, Middle East	Egypt
May 15, 2014	Al-Nusra Front	Middle East	Syria
August 20, 2014	Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem	Africa, Middle East	Egypt
September 30, 2015	Jaysh Rijal al-Tariq al Naqshabandi (JRTN)	Middle East	Iraq
January 14, 2016	ISIL-Khorasan	Asia	Afghanistan
May 19, 2016	ISIL-Libya	Africa	Libya
June 30, 2016	Al-Qa'ida in the Indian Subcontinent	Asia	Bangladesh, India, Pakistan
August 16, 2017	Hizbul Mujahideen		Kashmir
February 28, 2018	ISIS-Bangladesh		Bangladesh
	ISIS-Philippines		Philippines
	ISIS-West Africa	Africa	Maghreb and West Africa
May 23, 2018	ISIS-Greater Sahara		Maghreb and West Africa
July 11, 2018	al-Ashtar Brigades (AAB)	Asia	Bahrain
September 6, 2018	Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM)	Africa	Maghreb and West Africa
April 15, 2019	Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps	Asia	Iran	Branch of Iran's military^[12]
January 3, 2020	Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq		Iraq
March 10, 2021	ISIS-Democratic Republic of the Congo	Africa	Democratic Republic of the Congo
	ISIS-Mozambique		Mozambique
December 1, 2021	Segunda Marquetalia	South America	Colombia
	Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC-EP)
January 11-February 16, 2021.February 17, 2024	Houthi movement^[13]	Asia	Yemen

Delisted FTOs

The following groups have been removed from the Department of State's list as of December 1, 2021,^[8] most due to having been disbanded and thus being no longer active.

Date added!scope="col" style="white-space: nowrap;" width="130px"

Date removed	Name	Region	Area of operations	Notes
October 8, 1997	October 8, 1999	DFLP-Hawatmeh Faction (DFLP)	Middle East, Asia	Palestinian Territories
		Khmer Rouge	Asia	Cambodia
		Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front – Dissidents (FPMR-D)	South America	Chile
	October 8, 2001	Japanese Red Army (JRA)	Asia	Japan
		Tupac Amaru Revolution Movement (MRTA)	South America	Peru
		Revolutionary Nuclei	Europe	Greece
	October 15, 2010	Armed Islamic Group (GIA)	Maghreb, Africa	Algeria
	September 28, 2012	Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK)	Middle East, Asia	Iraq, Iran
October 11, 2005	May 28, 2013	Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (MICG)	Maghreb, Africa	Morocco
September 10, 2001	July 15, 2014	United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC)	South America	Colombia
October 8, 1997	September 3, 2015	Revolutionary Organization 17 November	Europe	Greece
March 27, 2002	December 9, 2015	Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG)	Maghreb, Africa	Libya
October 8, 1997	June 1, 2017	Abu Nidal Organization (ANO)	Middle East	Palestinian Territories
January 11, 2021	February 16, 2021-added again February 17 2024	Ansarallah	Middle East, Asia	Yemen
October 8, 1997	November 30, 2021	Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)	South America	Colombia
August 20, 2014	May 20, 2022	Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem (MSC)	Middle East	Palestinian Territories
October 8, 1997		Kahane Chai (Kach)		Israel
		Gama’a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group – IG)		Egypt
		Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)	Europe	Iberian Peninsula
		Aum Shinrikyo (AUM)	Asia	Japan

Controversies

The PMOI had been designated a "foreign terrorist organisation" in 1997 in order to improve relations with Tehran and then president Mohammad Khatami.^{[14] [15] [16] [17]}

In November 2013, the State Department listed the Nigerian terrorist organization Boko Haram as an FTO. In 2014, Republican members of Congress criticized the State Department for not designating the group as an FTO earlier.^{[18] [7]}

In August 2014 the Christian Science Monitor reported that U.S. military was coordinating with Kurdish forces in Iraq, including elements of the PKK, seemingly in violation of the ban on assistance to a designated FTO.^[19]

See also

• Executive Order 13224
• List of designated terrorist groups
• Specially Designated Global Terrorist
• U.K. List of Proscribed Groups
• State Sponsors of Terrorism (U.S. list)

External links

• Current official U.S. Department of State list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations
• Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) Congressional Research Service
• US Department of State's Foreign Terrorist Organizations, released April 8, 2008 Fact Sheet, upon which this article is based, which also contains the legal references.
• US Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control, 'What you need to know about U.S. Sanctions'
• European Union list of terrorist groups and individuals, 2007
• European Union list of terrorist groups and individuals, January 2009
• Kurth Cronin, Audrey; Huda Aden, Adam Frost, and Benjamin Jones (2004-02-06) (PDF). Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Congressional Research Service. Retrieved on 2009-03-04.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Individuals and Entities Designated by the State Department Under E.O. 13224 . Bureau of Counterterrorism . May 14, 2014 . state.gov . U.S. State Department . June 4, 2014 . November 11, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191111181851/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143210.htm . live .
2. Web site: Foreign Terrorist Organizations . Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism . April 10, 2014 . state.gov . U.S. State Department . April 25, 2014 . January 27, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170127131842/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm . live .
3. Book: Treasury's War. PublicAffairs. Zarate, Juan C.. 2013. New York. 9781610391153.
4. Web site: Foreign Terrorist Organization Designation. Office of the Spokesman. Sep 1, 2010. state.gov. US Department of State. June 3, 2014. February 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200222085929/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/09/146554.htm. live.
5. Book: Treasury's War . PublicAffairs. Zarate, Juan C.. 2013. New York. 9781610391153.
6. Web site: Foreign Terrorist Organization Designation. Office of the Spokesman. September 1, 2010. state.gov. US Department of State. June 3, 2014. February 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200222085929/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/09/146554.htm. live.
7. Web site: Hillary Clinton's Handling of Boko Haram: Are Critics Justified? . Lindsey Boerma . May 9, 2014 . cbsnews.com . CBS News . June 3, 2014 . June 6, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140606235456/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clintons-handling-of-boko-haram-are-critics-justified/ . live .
8. Web site: Foreign Terrorist Organizations. United States Department of State. https://web.archive.org/web/20201007182244/https://www.state.gov/foreign-terrorist-organizations/. October 7, 2020. live.
9. News: US designates Hafiz Saeed's MML as LeT affiliate in FTO list - The Express Tribune. 2018-04-03. The Express Tribune. 2018-04-03. en-US. April 3, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180403225741/https://tribune.com.pk/story/1676104/1-us-designates-hafiz-saeeds-mml-let-affiliate-fto-list/. live.
10. Web site: State Dept. on Designation of Al-Nusrah Front as Terrorist Group . Office of the Spokesperson . December 11, 2012 . state.gov . U.S. State Department . September 23, 2013 . September 13, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130913010910/http://translations.state.gov/st/english/texttrans/2012/12/20121211139845.html#axzz2fiuPsf00 . live .
11. Web site: Designation of Army of Islam . State.gov . May 5, 2011 . August 17, 2013 . February 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200216231148/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/05/163838.htm . live .
12. News: Revolutionary Guard Corps: US labels Iran force as terrorists - BBC News. 2019-04-08. BBC. 2019-04-08. en-US. April 8, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190408181402/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47857140. live.
13. Web site: Terrorist Designation of the Houthis . 2024-01-18 . United States Department of State . en.
14. Web site: U.S. Designates 30 Groups as Terrorists. Los Angeles Times. October 9, 1997. January 3, 2024. December 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231204135338/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-oct-09-mn-40874-story.html. live.
15. News: Iranian Group M.E.K. Wins Removal From U.S. Terrorist List. Scott. Shane. 21 September 2012. The New York Times. February 28, 2017. November 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211101193726/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/22/world/middleeast/iranian-opposition-group-mek-wins-removal-from-us-terrorist-list.html. live.
16. Book: Understanding Iran's National Security Doctrine. 93–94. Troubador Publishers. 2013. Manshour Varasteh. 978-1780885575. January 3, 2024. January 3, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240103183330/https://books.google.com/books?id=2AVR16hSwAwC&pg=PA96&lpg=PA96&dq=he+Clinton+administration+designated+the+PMOI+as+a+foreign+terrorist+organisation+in+1997+in+an+attempt+to+achieve+a+diplamtic+breahthrough+with+the+Iranian+government.+Understanding+Iran%27s+National+Security+Doctrine&source=bl&ots=Xpy46VNZzB&sig=ACfU3U1aV4-oDmN3Caoe7gJP_uCTPsu5Qg&hl=es&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj0us2A5r3oAhXSzoUKHSSsBy0Q6AEwAHoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=he%20Clinton%20administration%20designated%20the%20PMOI%20as%20a%20foreign%20terrorist%20organisation%20in%201997%20in%20an%20attempt%20to%20achieve%20a%20diplamtic%20breahthrough%20with%20the%20Iranian%20government.%20Understanding%20Iran's%20National%20Security%20Doctrine&f=false. live.
17. Web site: Iranian Opposition Group Wins Removal from US Terrorist List . Scott Shane . September 21, 2012 . . June 3, 2014 . August 25, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140825061740/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/22/world/middleeast/iranian-opposition-group-mek-wins-removal-from-us-terrorist-list.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 . live .
18. News: Glenn Kessler. Boko Haram: Inside the State Department debate over the 'terrorist' label. Washington Post. May 19, 2014. September 17, 2016. August 31, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160831222715/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2014/05/19/boko-haram-inside-the-state-department-debate-over-the-terrorist-label/. live.
19. Web site: Are the US, France, and UK lining up to support the 'terrorist' PKK in Iraq? . Dan Murphy . August 15, 2014 . csmonitor.com . Christian Science Monitor . October 15, 2014 . October 14, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141014165516/http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Security-Watch/Backchannels/2014/0815/Are-the-US-France-and-UK-lining-up-to-support-the-terrorist-PKK-in-Iraq . live .