# United States Department of State list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations

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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, Marxist militant groups, drug cartels, or transnational gangs.
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.

## 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.

## 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. 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.

## 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.

## 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. (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.

## Other effects of designation

The U.S. Department of State lists the following items as additional considered beneficial effects of designation:
* 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.

## Groups designated as FTOs

As of March 5, 2025, the following organizations are designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations:
Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations :
| Date added | Name | Region | Area of operations | Notes |
| October 8, 1997 | Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) | Asia | Philippines | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1997 | Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement) | Middle East | Palestinian Territories | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1997 | Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM) | Asia | Pakistan | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1997 | Hezbollah | Middle East | Lebanon | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1997 | Kongra-Gel (formerly Kurdistan Workers' Party) (KGK) | Middle East | Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria | Formerly PKK, KADEK. 62 FR 52650. |
| October 8, 1997 | Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) | Asia | Sri Lanka, India | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1997 | National Liberation Army (ELN) | South America | Colombia | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1997 | Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) | Middle East | Palestinian Territories | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1997 | Islamic Jihad Group | Middle East | Palestinian Territories | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1997 | Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) | Middle East | Palestinian Territories | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1997 | PFLP-General Command (PFLP-GC) | Middle East | Palestinian Territories | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1997 | Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) | Middle East | Turkey | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1997 | Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso, SL) | South America | Peru | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1999 | al-Qa'ida | Worldwide | Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia | 64 FR 55112 |
| 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 | |
| December 26, 2001 | Lashkar-e Tayyiba (Army of the Righteous) (LET) | Asia | Pakistan | Later amended to include the Milli Muslim League. |
| March 27, 2002 | Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades | Middle East | Palestinian Territories | |
| March 27, 2002 | Asbat an-Ansar | Middle East | Lebanon | |
| March 27, 2002 | 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) | Asia | Indonesia | Also in Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore |
| January 30, 2003 | Lashkar i Jhangvi | Asia | 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 |
| June 17, 2005 | Islamic Jihad Union (IJU) | Asia | Uzbekistan | |
| March 5, 2008 | Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HUJI-B) | Asia | 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) | Middle East | Saudi Arabia | |
| August 6, 2010 | Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HUJI) | Asia | Bangladesh | |
| September 1, 2010 | Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP) | Asia | Pakistan | |
| November 4, 2010 | Jaish ul-Adl (formerly Jundallah) | Asia | Iran | |
| May 23, 2011 | Army of Islam (Palestinian) | Middle East | Palestinian Territories | |
| September 19, 2011 | Indian Mujahideen (IM) (India) | Asia | India | |
| September 19, 2011 | Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) | Asia | 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 | Africa | Nigeria | |
| November 14, 2013 | Ansaru | Africa | Nigeria | |
| December 19, 2013 | al-Mulathamun Brigade | Africa | Algeria | |
| January 13, 2014 | Ansar al-Shari'a in Benghazi | Africa | Libya | |
| January 13, 2014 | Ansar al-Shari'a in Darnah | Africa | Libya | |
| January 13, 2014 | Ansar al-Shari'a in Tunisia | Africa | 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 20, 2016 | ISIL-Libya | Africa | Libya | |
| July 1, 2016 | Al-Qa'ida in the Indian Subcontinent | Asia | Bangladesh, India, Pakistan | |
| August 17, 2017 | Hizbul Mujahideen | Asia | Kashmir | |
| February 28, 2018 | ISIS-Bangladesh | Asia | Bangladesh | |
| February 28, 2018 | ISIS-Philippines | Asia | Philippines | |
| February 28, 2018 | ISIS-West Africa | Africa | Maghreb and West Africa | |
| May 23, 2018 | ISIS-Greater Sahara | Africa | 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. |
| January 10, 2020 | Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq | Asia | Iraq | |
| January 14, 2021 | Harakat Sawa'd Misr (HASM) | Africa | Egypt | |
| March 11, 2021 | ISIS-Democratic Republic of the Congo | Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| March 11, 2021 | ISIS-Mozambique | Africa | Mozambique |
| December 1, 2021 | Segunda Marquetalia | South America | Colombia |
| December 1, 2021 | Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC-EP) | South America | Colombia |
| February 20, 2025 | Gulf Cartel | Central America | Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia | Designated by Executive Order of POTUS. |
| February 20, 2025 | Jalisco New Generation Cartel | Latin America, Oceania, Europe, Asia | Mexico, United States, Australia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Guyana, Argentina, Uruguay, France, United Kingdom, Balkans, Italy, Spain, Japan, Thailand | Designated by Executive Order of POTUS. |
| February 20, 2025 | Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) | Central America | Mexico, California, and Texas | Designated by Executive Order of POTUS. |
| February 20, 2025 | La Nueva Familia Michoacana Organization | Central America | Mexico, Belgium, China, Texas, New Mexico, North Carolina, Georgia, Washington, D.C. | Designated by Executive Order of POTUS. |
| February 20, 2025 | Northeast Cartel | Central America | Mexico | Designated by Executive Order of POTUS. |
| February 20, 2025 | Sinaloa Cartel | Latin America | Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Belize, Guyana, Canada, United States | Designated by Executive Order of POTUS. |
| February 20, 2025 | Tren de Aragua | South America | Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Panama, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago and United States | Designated by Executive Order of POTUS. |
| February 20, 2025 | United Cartels | Central America | Mexico | Designated by Executive Order of POTUS. |
| March 5, 2025 | Ansar Allah (the Houthis) | Middle East, Asia | Yemen | Redesignated by President Donald Trump during his second term through Executive Order 14175, after initially designating them on January 11, 2021, a move that was reversed by the Biden administration on February 16, 2021. On 4 March 2025, the State Department announced the designation of the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, along with a $15 million reward for information leading to the disruption of Ansarallah's financial networks. |

## Delisted FTOs

The following groups have been removed from the Department of State's list as of December 1, 2021, most due to having been disbanded and thus being no longer active.
Delisted Foreign Terrorist Organizations :
| Date added | Date removed | Name | Region | Area of operations | Notes |
| October 8, 1997 | October 8, 1999 | DFLP-Hawatmeh Faction (DFLP) | Middle East, Asia | Palestinian Territories | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1997 | October 8, 1999 | Khmer Rouge | Asia | Cambodia | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1997 | October 8, 1999 | Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front – Dissidents (FPMR-D) | South America | Chile | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1997 | October 8, 2001 | Japanese Red Army (JRA) | Asia | Japan | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1997 | October 8, 2001 | Tupac Amaru Revolution Movement (MRTA) | South America | Peru | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1997 | October 8, 2001 | Revolutionary Nuclei | Europe | Greece | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1997 | October 15, 2010 | Armed Islamic Group (GIA) | Maghreb, Africa | Algeria | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1997 | September 28, 2012 | Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) | Middle East, Asia | Iraq, Iran | 62 FR 52650 |
| 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 | 62 FR 52650 |
| 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 | 62 FR 52650 |
| October 8, 1997 | November 30, 2021 | Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) | South America | Colombia | 62 FR 52650 |
| August 20, 2014 | May 20, 2022 | Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem (MSC) | Middle East | Palestinian Territories | |
| October 8, 1997 | May 20, 2022 | Kahane Chai (Kach) | Middle East | Israel | |
| October 8, 1997 | May 20, 2022 | Gama’a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group – IG) | Middle East | Egypt | |
| October 8, 1997 | May 20, 2022 | Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) | Europe | Iberian Peninsula | |
| October 8, 1997 | May 20, 2022 | Aum Shinrikyo (AUM) | Asia | Japan | |

## Controversies

The MEK had been designated a "foreign terrorist organisation" in 1997 in order to improve relations with Tehran and then president Mohammad Khatami.
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.
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.