IRS to review security at facilities as threats from extremists increase

The security assessment will be first of its kind since the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing following far-right chatter online

The Internal Revenue Service announced on Tuesday that it will do a security assessment of its facilities following increased threats from alt-right extremists and a burst of funding the agency is set to obtain.

The review at the tax collection agency is the first type of assessment for the group since the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing, when an explosive device near an Oklahoma City federal building killed 168 people, the Washington Post first reported.

The IRS sent a letter to employees last Wednesday with IRS commissioner Charles Rettig writing that the agency would be assessing risk in each of the IRS' 600 buildings and determine what additional safety measures were needed.