Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Less than two weeks after a gunman walked into an El Paso Walmart and killed 22 shoppers, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has launched a Domestic Terrorism Task Force to protect against statewide acts of extremism, his office announced in a Wednesday release.
The task force -- comprising federal, state and local officials, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen -- will analyze current and emerging state threats and form prevention and response strategies, the release says. Federal authorities have treated the El Paso shooting as an act of domestic terrorism after the discovery of a hate-filled manifesto, which they believe was authored by the gunman, warning of a "Hispanic invasion of Texas" amid other racist and xenophobic language.