The Foreign Collective Linking Hamas, IRGC, And A U.S. Antifa Cell

Rose City Antifa, one of the oldest and most active Antifa organizations in America, relied on the same foreign technology collective that provided digital infrastructure to groups connected to Hamas, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hezbollah, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, according to a recently released State Department memo.

The memo was first reported by Fox News on Wednesday as the Trump administration escalated its campaign against what it describes as transnational far-Left terrorism. 

The State Department designated the Italy-based Autistici/Inventati, known as the A/I Collective, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and accused the group of providing encrypted communications, web hosting, secure video conferencing, streaming and anonymity services to violent extremist organizations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the collective’s services were used by “the most active and violent Antifa cells in the United States and across the world.”

“Far-Left terrorism poses a profound threat to the United States and the broader West,” Rubio wrote on X. “There will be no refuge for violent extremists who wage war on our civilization and plot to undermine law and order, destroy critical infrastructure, assault political opponents, or conspire to conceal their crimes from authorities.”

Far-left terrorism poses a profound threat to the United States and the broader West. Today, the United States sanctioned several transnational far-left terrorist networks, including Autistici/Inventati – a major far-left tech collective whose services are used by the most active…

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) August 26, 2026

The State Department memo specifically identifies Portland-based Rose City Antifa as one of the American groups that used A/I Collective infrastructure. The group, which has operated in Portland, Oregon, for almost two decades, has been repeatedly associated with violent clashes, property destruction, and attacks on law enforcement. The city has long been a major center of Antifa activity, including during the 2020 George Floyd riots and more recent confrontations over immigration enforcement.

According to the State Department, Rose City Antifa used A/I Collective tools to organize and encourage violent and criminal activity, including distributing a flyer encouraging supporters to aim lasers at Customs and Border Protection (CBP) helicopters. The memo says at least one person responded to the call and later pleaded guilty to aiming a laser at a CBP helicopter, forcing the aircraft to abort a planned landing. Rose City Antifa also allegedly used the infrastructure to disseminate personal information about Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel and encourage attacks against ICE agents both at their homes and in public.

But the Portland group’s connection to the A/I Collective extends into a much broader international network. The State Department says the same technology infrastructure was used by a media organization to disseminate information to terrorist organizations Hamas, Hezbollah, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the PFLP. The A/I Collective reportedly operates thousands of digital services, including roughly 16,000 mailboxes, 1,500 websites, 5,500 mailing lists, and 10,000 blogs. The State Department says its services have been used by extremists to distribute propaganda, information on targets, tactical manuals, and claims of responsibility for attacks. The collective also allegedly tests users for Left-wing alignment before allowing them access to services, according to the State Department.

The designation represents another step in the Trump administration’s broader effort to treat violent far-Left networks as a counterterrorism problem rather than just a domestic protest movement. President Donald Trump designated Antifa a domestic terrorist organization in 2025 following a series of violent confrontations involving activists and federal immigration authorities. The administration has since pursued terrorism charges against alleged Antifa militants involved in an armed attack on an ICE detention facility in Texas and has pushed international governments to cooperate against what it describes as transnational political extremism.

The administration’s focus has increasingly extended beyond individual violent actors to the infrastructure supporting them. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Wednesday that the administration would target those who provide financial and logistical support to violent far-Left groups.

“Far-Left extremists, their fronts, and their enablers should be on notice: We will bring the full weight of our economic tools to bear,” Bessent told Fox News. “Political terrorism has no place in our society, and we will continue to cut the financial lifelines of these groups until they are eliminated.”

Rubio said the administration would continue using its counterterrorism and economic authorities against the networks.

“We will use all the tools and authorities at our disposal to fight terrorism and protect our way of life from terrorist coercion,” Rubio said.