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Left-wing terrorism is a form ofterroristpolitical violence motivated byfar-left ideologies,[2] committed with the aim of overthrowing currentcapitalist systems and replacing them withcommunist,Marxist,anarchist orsocialist societies.[3] Left-wing terrorism can also occur within alreadysocialist states as criminal action against the current ruling government.[4][5]
The majority of left-wing terrorist groups originated in theaftermath of World War II and they were predominantly active during theCold War.[3] Most left-wing terrorist groups that had operated in the 1970s and 1980s disappeared by the mid-1990s.[2]
Left-wing terrorist groups and individuals have been influenced by various anarchist, communist and socialist currents, includingMarxism (and further,Marxism–Leninism andMaoism).[5]Narodnaya Volya, a 19th-centuryrevolutionary socialist political organization and a left-wing terrorist group which operated inside theRussian Empire, killed TsarAlexander II of Russia in 1881[6] and developed the concept of "propaganda of the deed", is considered a major influence on left-wing terrorists.[7]
According to Sarah Brockhoff,Tim Krieger, and Daniel Meierrieks, while left-wing terrorism is ideologically motivated,nationalist-separatist terrorism is ethnically motivated.[8] They argue that the revolutionary goal of left-wing terrorism is non-negotiable whereasnationalist terrorists are willing to make concessions.[9] They suggest that the rigidity of the demands of left-wing terrorists may explain their lack of support relative to nationalist groups.[10] Nevertheless, many on the revolutionary left have shown solidarity fornational liberation groups employing terrorism, such asIrish nationalists, thePalestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and theTupamaros inUruguay, seeing them as engaged in a global struggleagainst capitalism.[10] Since the nationalist sentiment is fueled by socio-economic conditions, someseparatist movements, including theBasqueETA, theProvisional Irish Republican Army, and theIrish National Liberation Army, incorporated communist and socialist ideologies into their policies.[11]
David Brannan writes that left-wing terrorists andinsurgents do not tend to engage in indiscriminate attacks on the public because doing so not only runs contrary to theirsocialist ideals of being the protectors of theworking class, which they espouse, they also do not want to alienate large swaths of the working population, because such organizations and individuals seek to gain their support.[12] Other researchers argue that left-wing terrorism may not be less indiscriminate than itsright-wing counterpart.[13][14][15]
Left-wing terrorism has its roots in 19th and early 20th-centuryanarchist terrorism, and became pronounced during theCold War following theaftermath of World War II.[3][16] Modern left-wing terrorism developed in the context of thepolitical unrest of 1968.[3][17] According toDavid C. Rapoport, Professor Emeritus ofPolitical Science atUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the modern wave of left-wing terrorism began with thehijacking of the El Al Flight 426, operated by aBoeing 707-458C en route fromLondon toTel Aviv viaRome, committed by three members of thePopular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in 1968.[2]
InWestern Europe,[17] notable groups included theWest GermanRed Army Faction (RAF),[2] the ItalianRed Brigades (BR),[2][18] the Greek Revolutionary Organization 17 November (17N), the Frenchaction directe (AD) and the BelgianCommunist Combatant Cells (CCC). Asian groups have included theJapanese Red Army and theLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, although the latter organization later adoptednationalist terrorism. InLatin America, groups that became actively involved in terrorism in the 1970s and 1980s included the NicaraguanSandinistas, the PeruvianShining Path, the Uruguayan Tupamaros, and the Colombian19th of April Movement.[4]
A 2014 paper by Kis-Katos et al. concluded that left-wing terrorism was the most prevalent terrorism in the past but has largely declined in the present day.[19]
Studies in the United States have indicated a potential rise in left-wing terrorism in 2025.[20][21]
InLatin American countries, Stefan M. Aubrey describes theSandinistas,Shining Path,19th of April Movement, andRevolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) as the main organizations involved in left-wing terrorism during the 1970s and 1980s. These organizations opposedUnited States involvement in Latin America and drew local support as well as receiving support from theSoviet Union andCuba.[4]
 | This sectionis missing information about the1919 United States anarchist bombings, and the 1920Wall Street bombing. Please expand the section to include this information. Further details may exist on thetalk page.(December 2023) |
TheWeather Underground was a domestic terrorist group that developed as "a small, violent offshoot ofStudents for a Democratic Society", a group that originated in the 1960s to advocate for social change.[22] Between 1973 and 1975, theSymbionese Liberation Army was active, committingbank robberies,murders, and other acts of violence.[23] Other terrorist groups such as the smallNew World Liberation Front resorted todeath threats,drive-by shootings and planting ofpipe-bombs in the late 1970s.[24] During the 1980s, both theMay 19th Communist Organization (M19CO) and the smallerUnited Freedom Front were active. After 1985, following the dismantling of both groups, one source reports there were no confirmed acts of left-wing terrorism by similar groups.[25] Incidents of left-wing terrorism dropped off at the end of the Cold War (circa 1989), partly due to the loss of support for communism.[26]
In October 2020, thekilling of Aaron Danielson was added to theCSIS terrorism database as a deadly far-left attack, the first such incident in over two decades.[27] The killing is also referenced on theAnti-Defamation League's page onantifa, as the only "suspected antifa-related murder" to date;[28] and in the liberalthink tankNew America Foundation's tally of killings during terrorist attacks in the U.S. since9/11 as the first recorded fatality in a far-left attack.[29]
In the wake of the September 2025assassination of Charlie Kirk, Donald Trump and others broadly attributed terrorist acts to left wing actors.[30][31] However, studies show that well over half of political violence over recent decades has been caused by right-wing perpetrators, followed by Islamist extremists, followed by left-wing actors.[32][33][34] From 2022 through 2024, all 61 political killings were committed by right-wing extremists.[35][36]
TheMay 19th Communist Organization, also referred to as the 19 May Communist Coalition, was a United States-based, self-described revolutionary organization formed by splintered-off members of theWeather Underground and theBlack Liberation Army.[37] The M19CO name was derived from the birthdays ofHo Chi Minh andMalcolm X. The 19 May Communist Organization was active from 1978 to 1985. It also included members of theBlack Panthers and theRepublic of New Afrika (RNA).[38][39] According to a 2001 US government report, the alliance between Black Liberation Army and Weather Underground members had three objectives: freepolitical prisoners from US prisons; appropriate capitalist wealth (through armed robberies) to fund their operations; and initiate a series of bombings and terrorist attacks against the United States.[38]
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TheRevolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is a Marxist–Leninist organization inColombia that has engaged invehicle bombings,gas cylinder bombings, killings, placing ofland mines,kidnapping,extortion andhijacking as well as both guerilla and conventional military tactics. TheUnited States Department of State includes the FARC-EP on itslist of foreign terrorist organizations, as does theEuropean Union. It funds itself primarily through extortion, kidnapping and their participation in theillegal drug trade.[40][41] Many of their fronts enlist new and underage recruits by force, distribute propaganda and rob banks. Businesses operating in rural areas, includingagricultural, oil, andmining interests, were required to pay "vaccines" (monthly payments) which "protected" them from subsequent attacks and kidnappings. An additional, albeit less lucrative, source of revenue was highway blockades in which guerrillas stopped motorists and buses in order to confiscate jewelry and money. An estimated 20 to 30 percent of FARC combatants are under 18 years old, with many as young as 12 years old, for a total of around 5000 children.[42] Children who try to escape the ranks of the guerrillas are punished with torture and death.[42][43]
The Communist Party of Peru, more commonly known as theShining Path, is aMaoist guerrilla organization that launched theinternal conflict in Peru in 1980. Widely condemned for its brutality, including violence deployed againstpeasants,trade union organizers, popularly elected officials and the general civilian population,[44] Shining Path is on the United States Department of State's "Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations" list.[45] Peru, theEuropean Union,[46] andCanada[47] likewise regard Shining Path as a terrorist group and prohibit providing funding or other financial support.
According toPeru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2003, the actions of the Shining Path claimed between 31,331 and 37,840 lives between 1980 and 2000.[48]
TheNational Liberation Movement – Tupamaros was a Marxist-Leninisturban guerrilla group inUruguay that operated between the 1960s and early 1970s and was inspired by theCuban Revolution.[49] However, unlike the latter, the guerrilla warfare in Uruguay was active in urban areas.[50] The organization was involved in weapons theft, murder, kidnapping and bombings.[51] Major attacks include the bombing of the Bowling Club inCarrasco, theTaking of Pando and themurder of farmer Pascasio Báez.[52][53] By 1972, most of its members had already been imprisoned after theArmed Forces were charged with the fight against insurgency.[54]
The activity of the MLN-Tupamaros in urban areas inspired other far-left movements, mainly inWest Germany, where the2 June Movement, theRed Army Faction andTupamaros West-Berlin emerged.[55] The kidnapping ofCIA officerDan Mitrione was depicted in the 1972 filmState of Siege.[56]
| This sectionis missing information about theLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Please expand the section to include this information. Further details may exist on thetalk page.(January 2025) |
Stefan M. Audrey describes theJapanese Red Army and theLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as the main left-wing terrorist organizations in Asia, although he notes that the LTTE later transformed into anationalist terrorist organization.[4]
TheIndian government has engaged in aconflict with the left-wing extremist groups since the late 1960s.[57] The insurgency started after the1967 Naxalbari uprising and the subsequent split of theCommunist Party of India (Marxist) leading to the creation of aMarxist–Leninist faction.[58] The faction splintered into various groups supportive ofMaoist ideology, claiming to fight a rural rebellion andpeople's war against the government.[59]
The armed wing of the Maoists is called thePeople's Liberation Guerrilla Army.[60][61] They have conducted multiple attacks on the security forces and government workers.[62] The influence zone of the Naxalites is called thered corridor, which consists of about 25districts inCentral andEast India in 2021.[63][64][65] The insurgency reached its peak in the late 2000s with almost 180 affected districts and has been on the decline since then due to the counter-insurgency actions and development plans formulated by the Government.[66] Naxalites have engaged in numerous terrorist attacks and human rights violations in India'sRed Corridor.[67][68] Armed Naxalite movements are considered India's largest internal security threat,[69] and these groups have been declared as terrorist organisations by the Indian government.[70][71]
TheCommunist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has been responsible for hundreds of attacks on government and civilian targets.
After theUnited People's Front of Nepal (UPF)'s Maoist wing, CPN-M, performed poorly in elections and was excluded from the 1994 election, the Maoists turned toinsurgency. They aimed to overthrowNepal's monarchy andparliamentary democracy, and to change Nepalese society, including apurge of the nation's elite class, a state takeover ofprivate industry, andcollectivization of agriculture.[72][73] InNepal, attacks against civilian populations occurred as part of Maoist strategy, leadingAmnesty International to state:
The CPN (Maoist) has consistently targeted private schools, which it ideologically opposes. On the 14 April 2005 the CPN (Maoist) demanded that all private schools shut down, although this demand was withdrawn on 28 April. Following this demand, it bombed two schools in western Nepal on 15 April, a school inNepalganj, Banke district on 17 April and a school inKalyanpur, Chitwan on 21 April. CPN (Maoist) cadres also reportedly threw a bomb at students taking classes in a school inKhara, Rukum district.[74]
TheCommunist Party of the Philippines has been responsible for several attacks on government and civilian targets. It was founded in 1968 byJose Maria Sison, four years prior toMartial Law. They aimed to overthrow thePhilippine President and the national government, and to change Philippine society, including a purge of the nation's elite class, a state takeover of private industry, and collectivization of agriculture throughNational Democracy.[75][76][77] The CPP's armed wing,New People's Army, is responsible for attacking themilitary in thePhilippine Mountains. Between 2002 and 2005, these groups were designated as terrorists by the United States[75] and the European Union.[78]
TheJapanese Red Army (JRA) was founded in 1969 as the "Red Army Faction" by students impatient with theCommunist Party. In 1970, they hijacked a plane toNorth Korea, where nine of their members were interned. Fourteen members were killed during an internal purge. In 1971, the renamed JRA formed a connection with thePopular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and established a base inLebanon. Their major terrorist acts included an armed attack on theTel Aviv airport, hijacking planes toLibya andBangladesh, kidnapping the French ambassador tothe Hague, and bombing aUnited Service Organizations (USO) nightclub inNaples, Italy. By the mid-1990s, their level of activity had declined and the US State Department no longer considered them a terrorist threat. In 2001, their leader announced the dissolution of the group, although some of its members were in prison and others were still wanted by police.[79]
Typically small and urban-based, left-wing terrorist organizations in Europe have been committed to overthrowing their countries' governments and replacing them with regimes guided by Marxist–Leninist ideology. Although none have achieved any degree of success in accomplishing their goals, they have caused serious security problems in Germany, Belgium, Italy, Greece, France, Turkey, Portugal and Spain.[80][81]
Action directe (AD) was active in France between 1979 and 1987. Between 1979 and 1985, they concentrated on non-lethal bombings andstrafings of government buildings, although theyassassinated aFrench Ministry of Defense official. Following arrests of some of its members, the organization declined and became inactive.[82] The French government has banned the group.[83]
TheCommunist Combatant Cells (CCC) was founded in 1982 in Belgium byPierre Carette. With about ten members, the CCC financed its activities through a series of bank robberies. Over the course of 14 months, they carried out 20 attacks against property, mostlyNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) facilities. Despite attempts to avoid loss of life, there were casualties as a result of these attacks. After Carette and other members were arrested in 1985, the group ceased to be operational. Carette served 17 years of alife sentence, although his colleagues that were convicted with him were released earlier.[84]
TheFirst of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Groups (GRAPO) was aMaoist terrorist group inSpain that was founded in 1975.[85] Since its inception until 2007, it assassinated 84 people, including police, military personnel, judges and civilians; either by bombings or shootings. The group has committed a number of kidnappings, initially for political reasons, later on, mainly for extortion. Its last attack was committed in 2006, when GRAPO militants shot dead Ana Isabel Herrero, the owner of atemporary work agency inZaragoza.[86]
TheIrish National Liberation Army (INLA) is anIrish republicancommunistparamilitary group formed on 10 December 1974, during "the Troubles". It seeks to removeNorthern Ireland from British control and create asocialist republic encompassingall of Ireland. It is theparamilitary wing of theIrish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP).
The INLA was founded by former members of theOfficial Irish Republican Army who opposed that group'sceasefire. It was initially known as the "People's Liberation Army" or "People's Republican Army". The INLAwaged a paramilitary campaign against theBritish Army andRoyal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in Northern Ireland. It was also active to a lesser extent in theRepublic of Ireland andGreat Britain. High-profile attacks carried out by the INLA include theDroppin Well bombing, the1994 Shankill Road killings, and theassassinations of Airey Neave in 1979 andBilly Wright in 1997. It also carried out some bombings and robberies in mainland Europe in collaboration withWest German militant groupRevolutionary Cells and the Frenchaction directe.[87] However, it was smaller and less active than the main republican paramilitary group, theProvisional IRA. It was also weakened by feuds and internal tensions. Members of the group used thecover names People's Liberation Army (PLA), People's Republican Army (PRA)[88] andCatholic Reaction Force (CRF)[89] for attacks its volunteers carried out but the INLA did not want to claim responsibility for.[90] TheIrish People's Liberation Organisation (IPLO) was a breakaway group formed in 1986 and forcibly disbanded by theProvisional IRA (PIRA) in 1992.[91]
The INLA is a Proscribed Organisation in theUnited Kingdom under theTerrorism Act 2000 and an illegal organisation in theRepublic of Ireland.[92][93]
ThePopular Forces 25 April (FP-25) was formed in Portugal under the leadership of Lt. Col.Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho, who lead theCarnation Revolution in 1974.[94] It was a far-left terrorist group operating inPortugal between 1980 and 1987.[95] Most of its members had previously been active in theRevolutionary Brigades (Brigadas Revolucionárias), an armed group with links to theRevolutionary Party of the Proletariat (Partido Revolucionário do Proletariado) extinguished in 1978. Over 7 years,FP-25 were responsible for 19 deaths, including a four-month-old baby, a General Director of Prison Service, a dissident/repentant terrorist, severalNational Republican Guards (GNR) soldiers and five terrorists killed during robberies or clashes with security forces. The violence was partially stopped in June 1984, with a secret police operation under a code name"Orion", which resulted in the arrest of most of its leaders and operatives. They would be later tried in October 1986.[96]
TheRed Army Faction (RAF), which developed out of theBaader-Meinhof Group in Germany, carried out a series of terrorist attacks in the 1970s and remained active for over 20 years. The RAF was organized into small isolated cells, and had connections with thePopular Front for the Liberation of Palestine andCarlos the Jackal.[97] Although the group's leaders, includingGudrun Ensslin,Andreas Baader andUlrike Meinhof were arrested in 1972, it carried out major attacks, including thekidnapping and murder of Hanns-Martin Schleyer, president of theConfederation of German Employers' Associations and of theFederation of German Industries, and the hijacking of theLufthansa Flight 181 in the so-called "German Autumn" of 1977.[97]
TheRed Brigades were founded in August 1970, mostly by former members of theItalian Communist Youth Federation who had been expelled from the parent party for extremist views.[98] The largest terrorist group inItaly, its aim was to violently overthrow the government and replace it with a communist system.[99] Its members were responsible for thekidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro, a prominent member ofChristian Democracy who served twice asprime minister of Italy.[100]
TheRevolutionary Organization 17 November, also known as 17N or N17, was a Greek urban terrorist organization named in commemoration of a1973 mass demonstration and riot against the military junta. By 1975 the group had killed 23 people, including U.S. officials, NATO officials and Greek politicians, magistrates and businessmen. Attempts by theGreek police, theCentral Intelligence Agency (CIA), andScotland Yard to investigate the group were unsuccessful. The group was captured in 2002, after one of its members was wounded by a bomb he was carrying.[101] It has been recognized as a terrorist organization by the Greek State, the US and international law enforcement agencies.[102][103][104]
TheRevolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front is a militant Marxist–Leninist party in Turkey. The US, UK and EU categorize it as a terrorist organization. As of 2007, the Counter-Terrorism and Operations Department of Directorate General for Security list it among the12 active terrorist organizations in Turkey.[105] It is one of the 44 names listed in the 2008 U.S. State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations,[106] one of the 48 groups and entities to which the EU's Common Position 2001–931/CFSP on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism applies[107] and one of the 45 international terrorist organisations in the list ofProscribed Terrorist Groups of the UKHome Office.[108]
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