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Founded in 1908, the FBI originated from a force of special agents created by Attorney General Charles Bonaparte to provide investigative services for the Department of Justice. The mission of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is to protect and defend the U.S. against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats, to uphold and enforce the criminal laws of the U.S. and to provide leadership and criminal justice services to federal, state, municipal and international agencies and partners.
The FBI focuses on threats that challenge the foundations of American society or involve dangers too large or complex for any local or state authority to handle alone. By executing the above priorities, the FBI—as both a national security and law enforcement organization—will produce and use intelligence to protect the nation from threats to bring to justice those who violate the law.