ATF

ATF — the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — is a federal law enforcement agency in US law, organised under the US Department of Justice. The bureau's mandate is to protect the public against crime involving firearms, explosives and arson, and to regulate and enforce the lawful trade in these goods. Within the US justice system, ATF investigates violations of federal law falling within its jurisdiction and cooperates with other federal, state and local authorities on investigation and prosecution. The bureau's agents have the authority to make arrests, carry out searches and bring charges in connection with federal offences.

In a true crime context, ATF is particularly known for its role in cases involving armed confrontations, illegal arms trafficking and large organised criminal environments. The bureau appears frequently in cases involving illegal weapons stockpiles, bombings and extremist groups.

In connection with the Waco siege in 1993, ATF was the agency that launched the initial raid on the Branch Davidian sect and their compound at the Mount Carmel Center outside Waco, Texas. The operation, which aimed to arrest sect leader David Koresh and seize a suspected illegal weapons stockpile, developed into a violent confrontation in which four ATF agents and six sect members lost their lives. The failed raid triggered the subsequent 51-day siege, which was primarily taken over by the FBI, but ATF's initial handling of the operation has since been the subject of extensive criticism and congressional inquiries.