Environmental group Extinction Rebellion said Wednesday it was under federal US investigation and that some of its members had been visited by FBI agents, including the agency’s task force on terrorism, in the past year.
Asked for comment, the FBI said it could neither confirm nor deny conducting specific investigations, citing Justice Department policy.
“On the evening of February 6, a former member [Extinction Rebellion NYC] Two special agents from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force visited their residence, about 200 miles outside of New York City,” the environmental group said in a statement.
Agents asked the former member about their involvement in the environmental group’s New York City chapter, and the former member referred the questions to their attorney, the statement said.
The group also said that in March 2025, agents identifying themselves as part of the FBI attempted to speak with six different activists affiliated with Extinction Rebellion Boston, and there was no further communication.
The activist group’s statement did not provide further details, and the FBI did not comment on the nature and scope of its actions. Rights advocates have raised free speech concerns under Donald Trump’s administration, citing his crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s assault on Gaza and his threats against liberal nonprofits and groups that oppose his agenda, including his immigration and climate policies.
The Trump administration has accused the groups, often without evidence, of funding and conducting political violence. Climate advocates have criticized Trump’s cuts to domestic climate regulations and the US withdrawal from global environmental agreements.
The environmental group’s global website calls it a “decentralized, international and politically non-partisan movement, using non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to persuade governments to act justly”. Activist Greta Thunberg has attended actions organized by the group in the past.
