Database: Identifiers of Designated Islamic Terrorist Organizations
Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)
Designation Status (as of October 12, 2026)
| US State Dept FTO | Listed Ansar al-Shari’a in Benghazi since January 13, 2014; Ansar al-Shari’a in Darnah since January 13, 2014 |
|---|---|
| US Treasury OFAC SDN (SDGT) | Listed ANSAR AL-SHARI'A IN BENGHAZI; ANSAR AL-SHARI'A IN DARNAH |
| UK Proscribed | Listed Ansar al-Sharia-Benghazi (AAS-B) which translates as the Partisans of Islamic Law since November 2014 |
| EU Terrorist Lists | Listed Ansar al Sharia since November 19, 2014; Ansar al Sharia since November 19, 2014 |
| Canada Listed Entities | Not listed official list |
| Australia Listed | Not listed official list |
Profile written 2014 The profile below is the original Jihad Intel text and has not been updated. Designation status above is current.
Designated as terrorist by: United States (specifically Derna and Benghazi branches)
Base of operations: Libya
Background: U.S. Department of State
Background: Reuters
Ansar al-Sharia is a jihadi group that first emerged during the Libyan civil war and has since become a major militia power amid the chaos of the aftermath of Gaddafi's fall. It is particularly strong in Benghazi, where it is believed to have attacked the U.S. consulate in 2012, but also has networks in Derna, Tripoli, and other Libyan cities. Thriving off the corruption in Libya's system and weak government control, Ansar al-Sharia has been able to engage in outreach with locals and even send aid abroad to Syria, where a disproportionate number of Libyan fighters have joined the Islamic State. Though Ansar al-Sharia in Libya, like its Tunisian counterpart, at one point appeared to be pro-Islamic State, some of its members also joined Katiba al-Muhajireen, a foreign fighter group operating in Latakia that has been subsumed under Jabhat al-Nusra. With the expansion of the Islamic State into Libya at the expense of Ansar al-Sharia's influence, the affinity with al-Qaeda has become ever clearer.
