US to host international meet on political terrorism next week; India may not send any representative

Washington: The US will host an international conference next week to discuss "resurgence of political terrorism", with invitations sent to 60 countries, including India.

The meeting at the US State Department on July 16 is expected to bring together foreign and interior ministers from Europe, Latin America and Asia as the US seeks to build international cooperation against what it considers an emerging security threat, according to The Washington Post.

The meeting has prompted consternation among career and political US officials, some European allies and independent analysts who do not see the threat in the same terms, the Post reported.


India may not send any representative to the meeting.

"The resurgence of violent far-left political terrorism is not a new phenomenon - it is an old threat re-emerging with strong transnational links and new convergences," State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on X, referring to the Post report.

He said that because the threat of violent far-left political terrorism has not been adequately addressed in the past, each engagement, designation, or security assistance program creates a compounding effect supporting countermeasures at home and abroad.

"Our efforts target violent activity meeting the definition of terrorism: assassinations, kidnappings, violent threats against US facilities and law enforcement, as well as attacks on critical infrastructure, military personnel, and civilian population," Pigott said.

Some US officials were apprehensive about the use of powerful counterterrorism tools to crack down on US activists.

According to the Post, some Trump administration officials fear that a future Democratic administration could use the tactic against conservative activists.

The meeting comes as President Donald Trump intensified his campaign against Antifa, a loosely organised anti-fascist movement that he has repeatedly accused of fuelling political violence.

The Trump administration in 2025 had designated Antifa as a terrorist organisation, describing it as a "dangerous, radical left disaster".

Trump also called for investigations into individuals and organisations allegedly funding the movement.

The US Counterterrorism Strategy, issued in May, lists three major types of terror groups - narcoterrorists and transnational gangs, legacy Islamist terrorists, and violent left-wing extremists, including anarchists and anti-fascists.

"...we will continue to ensure our CT structures are not weaponised against the American people, as prior administrations allowed," the US Counterterrorism Strategy document states.