The Trump administration is convening officials from roughly 65 countries Thursday to build an international coalition against violent far-left extremist groups, arguing the organizations have become a leading transnational terrorism threat.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host representatives from the foreign delegations for discussions focused on expanding intelligence sharing, law enforcement cooperation and other international efforts to counter what administration officials describe as an increasingly transnational network of violent far-left extremist organizations.
Administration officials said the ministerial is the culmination of an eight-month diplomatic effort to convince foreign governments that violent far-left extremist networks have become a growing cross-border threat requiring greater international coordination.
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The initiative comes as some analysts and foreign officials have questioned whether violent far-left groups constitute a cohesive international terrorism threat comparable to Islamist extremist organizations. Others have raised concerns governments could use such initiatives to target political opponents under the banner of counterterrorism.
Administration officials rejected those concerns Wednesday, arguing the effort is narrowly focused on criminal and terrorist violence rather than political beliefs.
“We haven’t waded into trying to disambiguate people’s beliefs and ideologies,” a senior State Department official told reporters. “In America, you can believe anything you want. The minute that you cross the legal threshold, that changes.”
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Officials argue governments spent much of the past two decades concentrating on jihadist terrorism while underestimating what they describe as a resurgence of politically motivated violence from violent far-left extremist networks operating across borders.
“This has been a blind spot for a lot of our partners, frankly. They have not seen these trends … since the 1970s,” the senior State Department official said. “Our partners have talked to us about the rise of assassinations or assassination plots.”
Administration officials pointed to a series of recent attacks in Europe that they argue underscore the need for greater international cooperation.
On July 1, coordinated firebomb attacks targeted the homes of members of Greece’s governing New Democracy party in Thessaloniki, killing the mother of parliamentary candidate Afroditi Nestora and injuring four others. Greek anti-terrorism police later arrested three suspects.
In January, an arson attack on a power transmission facility in Berlin, Germany, knocked out electricity to tens of thousands of homes and businesses. German authorities later transferred the investigation to the federal prosecutor over suspected involvement by a terrorist organization.
The meeting builds on a series of actions the administration has taken since late 2025, including designating <a href="https://foxnews.com/politics/desantis-announces-plans-use-new-state-law-target-dozens-alleged-terrorist-groups" target="_b
