The U.S. Treasury Department recently sanctioned the transnational organization Masar Badil, which it identified as an arm of the designated terrorist organization the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). This action is aimed at thwarting terrorist activity and recruitment within the United States.
According to the Treasury Department, Masar Badil has affiliates operating on U.S. college campuses in Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington state. These groups have reportedly advocated for armed resistance and, in recent months, have escalated their rhetoric and actions to include violence and intimidation.
One prominent affiliate mentioned is Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return (SUPER-UW) at the University of Washington. Masar Badil itself has listed SUPER-UW among its networks. Over the past three years, SUPER-UW's activities have evolved from advocating for Palestinian rights to celebrating violence and engaging in disruptive actions. Following Hamas's Oct. 7 attack, SUPER-UW reportedly cheered the killing of civilians and later held an event that described the attack as a "victory for the resistance" and a "scientific necessity."
In September 2025, SUPER-UW promoted a workshop on "defending the Palestinian resistance" organized by Samidoun-Seattle, which the Treasury Department describes as a "sham charity" that raises funds for the PFLP. After the death of Yahya Sinwar, identified as an architect of the Oct. 7 attack, SUPER-UW referred to him as "our martyr leader" and pledged to continue the struggle.
The group's activities culminated in a May 2025 protest where 33 SUPER-UW protesters, many of them students, occupied the University of Washington's engineering building. They demanded the university sever ties with Boeing due to its defense contracts. The protesters caused approximately $1 million in damages, including vandalism and setting fire to dumpsters. The University of Washington subsequently severed ties with SUPER-UW, a decision that was not publicly announced until July of the current year.
Despite the university's action, SUPER-UW has continued to identify with the university on social media and in public mobilizations. In a recent incident, SUPER-UW targeted Ira Kohler, an Oct. 7 first responder, by posting his image with a Hamas symbol and urging protests against his scheduled appearance. The group also published the new venue address when the original location changed due to security concerns.
Masar Badil's network extends beyond these campus groups. At a March 2025 conference in Brazil, messages from Hamas and Hezbollah officials were reportedly relayed, and Masar Badil acknowledged receiving "political and organizational reports" from SUPER-UW. The network also includes Bissan Barghouti, a Masar Badil executive committee member who has spoken at UW demonstrations and met with Iran’s Mission to the United Nations. Furthermore, two SUPER-UW members arrested during the engineering building occupation are identified as active members of Tariq El-Tahrir, Masar Badil’s youth wing.