US removes 5 groups from terror blacklist, retains al-Qaida

By MATTHEW LEE
AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has removed five extremist groups, all believed defunct, from its list of foreign terrorist organizations. The State Department said Friday it had removed the groups after a mandatory five-year review of their designations. Al-Qaida, which was also up for review, was kept on the list. Several of the groups removed once posed significant threats, killing hundreds if not thousands of people across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The decision was politically sensitive for the Biden administration and may draw criticism from victims and their families. The organizations removed are a Basque separatist group, a Japanese cult, a radical Jewish group and two Islamic groups.