Justice Department Relaunches Domestic Terror Task Force

Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday he will reconstitute a long-defunct task force on domestic terrorism to try to expand efforts to stop violent attacks inside the U.S.

The task force the Justice Department is reviving was originally launched in the aftermath of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. It was scheduled to meet on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, but given the terror attacks of that day it didn’t meet, and the group’s work was quickly eclipsed by the response to those attacks and the effort to defeat al Qaeda in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere.

Now, Mr. Holder said in a statement, “we also must concern ourselves with the continued danger we face from individuals within our own borders who may be motivated by a variety of other causes, from antigovernment animus to racial prejudice.”

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The Domestic Terrorism Executive Committee will be made up of officials from the Justice Department, the FBI, and U.S. Attorneys’ offices, and aims to help coordinate with local public-safety officials around the country, officials said.