Department of State's Designation of The Sect of Revolutiona

[admin]

Department of State's Designation of The Sect of Revolutionaries


Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC

February 24, 2011




The Secretary of State has designated the Sect of Revolutionaries (SE) as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under E.O. 13224. Secretary Clinton took this action in consultation with the Departments of Justice and the Treasury. This action will help stem the flow of finances to SE by blocking all property subject to U.S. jurisdiction in which SE has an interest and prohibiting all transactions by U.S. persons with the organization. The Secretary designated SE because the organization’s indiscriminate terrorist activities threaten the national security of the United States.
SE is a Greek terrorist organization that uses violence to try to provoke a revolution and overthrow the Greek Government. Since its first attack against a police station in February 2009, SE has continued to threaten the Greek Government and media interests. Between February 2009 and July 2010, SE claimed responsibility for two shooting attacks on a police and TV station, and two separate murders of a police officer and a journalist.
Soon after each of its attacks, SE released a written proclamation taking responsibility for its violence and threatening to kill police officers, journalists, members of the judiciary, social workers, and others in order to harm the Greek economy and damage the country’s international reputation.
The action taken today against SE demonstrates the U.S. effort to degrade the capabilities of this group. “Today’s designation of the Sect of Revolutionaries highlights the U.S. Government’s concern regarding terrorist activities carried out by organizations in Europe,” said Ambassador Daniel Benjamin, the Department of State’s Coordinator for Counterterrorism. “Taking the step of designating the Sect of Revolutionaries demonstrates the U.S. Government’s support for Greece’s efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat this group.”


PRN: 2011/275