BREAKING NEWS

Holder to ADL: Protect rights of all, including Muslims

WASHINGTON - In a speech to the Anti-Defamation League, US Attorney General Eric Holder urged Americans to protect the rights of Muslims and other minorities in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing.
"The battle for the safety and rights of all Americans -- all Americans -- must be our common endeavor," Holder told a conference in Washington on Monday marking the group's centennial.
He noted that the conference was held just weeks after the Boston bombing, which killed three and wounded scores.
The lead suspects are two brothers who are Muslims of Chechen origin. One was slain in the bombing's aftermath; one is in custody.
"Our investigation into this matter remains ongoing, and I want to assure you that my colleagues and I are determined to hold accountable, to the fullest extent of the law, all of those who were responsible for this attack," Holder said. "But I also want to make clear that just as we will pursue relentlessly anyone who would target our people or attempt to terrorize our cities, the Justice Department is firmly committed to protecting innocent people against misguided acts of retaliation."
Holder praised the ADL for its role in combating anti-Muslim sentiment, noting that the organization initiated a friend-of-the-court brief filed by an interfaith coalition in the successful Justice Department lawsuit against a Tennessee county that sought to prevent the building of a mosque.