TERRORIST GROUPS
Antifa Ost
( AS OF FEBRUARY 2026 )
OVERVIEW
Antifa Ost is a primarily Germany-based anarchist violent extremist group motivated by antifascist and anti-capitalist ideology. It has engaged in violence against people whom its members perceive as fascists or proponents of neo-Nazi beliefs. The group, also known as Antifa East and Hammerbande, emerged in eastern Germany in early 2018 and has focused most of its violent actions against people, organizations, and businesses in that region who allegedly support neo-Nazi causes. In 2023, Antifa Ost members traveled from Germany to Budapest to conduct coordinated assaults on participants in an event honoring the Nazi occupation of Hungary.
OPERATING AREAS
Primarily based in eastern Germany
MEMBERS
Unknown; at least 15 Antifa Ost members have been arrested in Germany and Hungary since 2023
TACTICS AND TARGETS
Antifa Ost members have engaged in violent assaults using fists, batons, hammers, and other blunt instruments against people they believed promoted fascist or neo-Nazi beliefs. Antifa Ost members have committed more than a dozen violent assaults in at least six cities in Germany and Hungary, resulting in more than 35 injuries, according to open-source reporting. Antifa Ost members trained to prepare for their violent assaults, including using the facilities of a local soccer club. We have no information that Antifa Ost members have killed anyone or used firearms in their attacks.
TERRORIST GROUP DESIGNATION
In November 2025, the US State Department designated Antifa Ost as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity and a foreign terrorist organization.
KEY LEADERS
Maja T. [DETAINED]
Orchestrated Antifa Ost’s attacks in Budapest; was extradited from Germany to Hungary in 2024 and sentenced by a Hungarian court in 2026 to eight years in prison
Johann Guntermann [DETAINED]
An alleged leader of Antifa Ost; was on trial as of February 2026 at the Dresden Higher Regional Court on attempted murder charges related to his participation in nine attacks
NOTABLE ATTACKS
3 November 2025
Hamburg, Germany
Unidentified perpetrators firebomb the car of the parliamentary manager of the Alternative for Germany political party. An anonymous online post claims that the attack is in retaliation for upcoming trials of Antifa Ost members, suggesting that the group inspired or conducted the attack.
9-11 February 2023
Budapest, Hungary
Around 20 Antifa Ost members conduct five coordinated assaults targeting people perceived to be participating in events tied to a “Day of Honor” that commemorates the Nazi occupation of Hungary.
12 January 2023
Erfurt, Germany
Antifa Ost members attack and injure two members of a local “far-right” party with hammers and batons.
January 2019
Dessau-Rosslau, Germany
Antifa Ost members attack and injure four people perceived to harbor neo-Nazi beliefs with hammers and iron bars at a train station.