FBI Director Kash Patel Declares Antifa Treated as Terrorists, Citing Al-Qaeda and ISIS Precedent

FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the agency is treating Antifa as a terrorist organization, equating its status to that of Al-Qaeda and ISIS. The statement, made in an interview with Fox Business, follows the first terrorism charges brought against individuals linked to the anti-fascist movement. Patel emphasized, "We are treating them as terrorists, just like we do Al-Qaeda or ISIS."

This declaration comes on the heels of a September executive order by President Donald Trump, which formally designated Antifa as a "domestic terrorist organization." The order has been met with legal scrutiny due to the absence of a federal legal framework for classifying domestic groups as terrorist entities. Experts note that current U.S. law only provides for the designation of foreign terrorist organizations.

The charges mentioned by Patel involve two individuals accused of attacking a migrant detention center in Texas in July. Federal prosecutors in Texas filed these terrorism charges, citing the President's recent designation. Critics, including the lawyer for one of the accused, suggest the terrorism charges are politically motivated.

Legal scholars and civil liberties advocates have raised concerns that such designations could infringe upon First Amendment rights, given Antifa's decentralized nature as a movement rather than a cohesive organization. Faiza Patel, director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, stated there is "no framework to designate an organization as a domestic terrorist organization."

The administration's focus has reportedly shifted towards investigating the funding mechanisms behind Antifa activities. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) previously encouraged FBI Director Patel to pursue financial inquiries, stating, "Follow the money. The violence we are seeing is not purely organic." Patel's background includes extensive counterterrorism work, overseeing actions against Al-Qaeda and ISIS during his time as Deputy Assistant to the President on the National Security Council.