At 9:02 a.m., on April 19, 1995, a truck bomb explodes in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Immediately following the explosion, several ATF employees are trapped on the 9th floor. After struggling free from the wreckage of what was then the worst domestic attack in the nation’s history, they bravely assist other victims. ATF Agents and National Response Teams from around the country arrive at the scene, providing assistance and investigative expertise.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) developed new standards for building security. President William Jefferson Clinton issued an Anti-Terrorism Emergency Supplemental & Executive Order 12977, requiring that all federal facilities comply with the new DOJ regulations.

ATF National Headquarters is the first federally owned building to fully meet the new DOJ criteria. The building project took 11 years to complete, spanning the tenures of three ATF directors. Officially opened in November 2006, the building provides ATF employees with a permanent home that integrates state-of-the-art security with architectural beauty.