In a crisis management scenario for a terrorist incident, which agency leads the response?

In a crisis management scenario for a terrorist incident, which agency leads the response?

• A. FBI
• B. ATF
• C. DHS
• D. FEMA

Answer: (A)

In a terrorist incident, the agency with the primary responsibility to lead the federal response is the FBI. The FBI is the nation’s lead counterterrorism investigative agency, coordinating the on-scene response, handling intelligence gathering, and directing the criminal investigation across jurisdictions. This central role ensures a unified command for investigating the incident, securing evidence, and integrating federal resources with state and local responders. Other agencies provide crucial support: FEMA (under DHS) handles disaster response and recovery aspects, DHS oversees national preparedness and interagency coordination, and ATF would be involved if the incident centers on weapons or arson tied to federal crimes. But for crisis management that centers on investigating and dismantling the terrorist act, the FBI leads the federal effort, working in concert with other agencies as needed.

In a terrorist incident, the agency with the primary responsibility to lead the federal response is the FBI. The FBI is the nation’s lead counterterrorism investigative agency, coordinating the on-scene response, handling intelligence gathering, and directing the criminal investigation across jurisdictions. This central role ensures a unified command for investigating the incident, securing evidence, and integrating federal resources with state and local responders. Other agencies provide crucial support: FEMA (under DHS) handles disaster response and recovery aspects, DHS oversees national preparedness and interagency coordination, and ATF would be involved if the incident centers on weapons or arson tied to federal crimes. But for crisis management that centers on investigating and dismantling the terrorist act, the FBI leads the federal effort, working in concert with other agencies as needed.