Waco siege

src: upload.wikimedia.org

The siege of Waco is a siege of a compound belonging to Davidians Branch, conducted by federal and Texas law enforcement, as well as the US military, between 28 February and 19 April 1993. The Davidians Branch is headed by David Koresh and is headquartered at the Mount Carmel Center farm in the Axtell, Texas community, 13 miles (21 kilometers) east-northeast of Waco. Suspicious of illegal arms collection groups, ATF obtained a search warrant for arrest and arrest warrants for Cyrus and several members of the elected group.

The incident started when ATF tried to invade the farm. An intense gun battle erupted, resulting in the deaths of four government agents and six Davidian Branches. After ATF's failure to raid the complex, a 51-day siege was initiated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Eventually, the FBI launched an attack and started a tear gas attack in an attempt to force the Davidian Branch out of the ranch. During the attack, a fire engulfed Mount Carmel Center. In total, 76 people were killed, including David Koresh.

Many disagreements about the actual siege incident. Certain controversies occur over the origin of fires; an internal Department of Justice investigation concluded in 2000 that members of the sect had started a fire. Events near Waco, and the siege at Ruby Ridge less than twelve months earlier, were both cited as the primary motivation behind the Oklahoma City bombing that occurred just two years later.

Video Waco siege

â€‹â€‹Ã¢ â‚¬ <Ã¢ â‚¬

The Branch Davidians (also known as "The Branch") is a religious group that originated in 1955 from a split in Shepherd's Rod (Davidians) after the death of Shepherd's Rod founder Victor Houteff. Houteff founded the Davidians based on his prophecy of an imminent apocalypse involving the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the defeat of the Babylonian evil army. When David's original group acquired members, his leadership moved the church to the top of a hill a few miles east of Waco, Texas, which they named Carmel Mountain, after a mountain in Israel mentioned in Joshua 19:26 in the Old Testament Bible. A few years later, they moved back to a much larger site east of the city. In 1959, Victor Houteff's widow, Florence Houteff, announced that the expected Armageddon was imminent, and the members were asked to gather at the center to wait for the event. Many houses are built, others live in tents, trucks, or buses, and most sell their property.

Following the failure of this prophecy, much associated with Ny. Houteff who sets his own personal date for fulfillment, the site's mastery (Mount Carmel Center) falls to Benjamin Roden, founder of the Davidian Seventh Day Adventist Association (Branch). He promotes different doctrinal beliefs from the original Adventist Davidian organization of Victor Houteff. At Roden's death, the control falls to his wife, Lois Roden. Lois considers their son, George Roden, unworthy to take the position of the prophet. Instead, he trained Vernon Howell (later known as David Koresh) as his chosen successor. In 1984, a meeting led to the division of the group, with Howell leading a faction (calling themselves Davidian Branch Davidian) and George Roden leading a competing faction. After this split, George Roden runs Howell and his followers from Mount Carmel. Howell and his group moved to Palestine, Texas.

After the death of Lois Roden and his will in January 1987, Howell attempted to seize the Mount Carmel Center by force. George Roden has dug a coffin of Anna Hughes from Davidian's funeral and challenged Howell for the resurrection contest to prove who is entitled to be the heir of leadership. Howell instead went to the police and claimed Roden was guilty of harassing the corpse, but the district attorney refused to file charges without evidence. On November 3, 1987, Howell and seven armed colleagues attempted to access the Mount Carmel chapel, aiming to photograph the corpse in the coffin as evidence to incriminate Roden. Roden was advised of interlopers and grabbed the Uzi in reply. The Sheriff's Department responded about 20 minutes in a shootout, in which Roden was injured. Sheriff Harwell catches Howell on the phone and tells him to stop shooting and surrender. Howell and his friends, dubbed "Rodenville Eight" by the media, were tried for attempted murder on April 12, 1988; seven people were released, and the jury was hanged on Howell's verdict. The district attorney did not press the case further.

While awaiting trial, Roden was thrown into jail on charges of court charges for the use of foul language in several court pleads, threatening Texas courts with sexually transmitted diseases if the court decides to support Howell. The next day, Perry Jones and a number of other Howell followers moved from their base in Palestine, Texas, to Mount Carmel. In mid-1989, Roden used an ax to kill a Davidian named Wayman Dale Adair, who visited him to discuss the vision of Adair as the chosen Messiah of God. He was found guilty under mad defense and committed to a mental hospital. Shortly after Roden's commitment, Howell raised money to pay off all taxes on Mount Carmel that were owed by Roden and took legal control over the property.

On August 5, 1989, Howell released an audio recording of "New Light", in which he declared that he had been told by God to conspire with women in the group to establish the "House of David" from his "special people". This involves separating married couples in groups and agreeing that only he can have sexual relations with wives, while men should observe celibacy. He also claimed that God had told him to start building "Soldiers for God" to prepare for the end of the day and salvation for his followers. Howell filed a petition in the California State Superior Court at Pomona on May 15, 1990, to officially change his name "for publicity and business purposes" to David Koresh; on August 28, he was given a petition. In 1992, most of the group's land was sold except for a core of 77 hectares (31 ha). Most of the buildings have been removed or are being rescued for building materials to convert most of the main chapels and high water tanks into apartments for members of the group's inhabitants. Many group members have been involved with David's people for generations, and many have large families.

Maps Waco siege

Prelude

On 27 February 1993, the Waco Tribune-Herald began publishing "The Sinful Messiah", a series of articles by Mark England and Darlene McCormick, who reported allegations that Koresh had physically abused children in the complex and had do rape by law by taking some underage brides. Koresh is also said to advocate polygamy for himself and declare himself marrying several women from a small community. According to the newspaper, Koresh claimed he was entitled to at least 140 wives, that he was entitled to claim one of the women in the group as his own, that he had fathered at least a dozen children, and that some of these mothers became brides. as young as 12 or 13 years old.

In addition to allegations of sexual harassment and offenses, Koresh and his followers allegedly hoarded illegal weapons. In May 1992, Deputy Chief Daniel Weyenberg of the County Sheriff County Department of McLennan called the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to inform them that his office had been contacted by a local UPS representative. A UPS driver describes packages that have been opened at the time of delivery to Branch Davidian's residence, showing firearms, inert grenade casing, and black powder. On June 9, an official investigation opened and a week later was classified as sensitive, "thus demanding high-level supervision" from Houston and headquarters. The Inside Waco documentary claimed that the investigation began when in 1992 ATF became concerned over reports of automatic shots coming from the Carmel complex. On July 30, ATF agents David Aguilera and Skinner visited David's arms dealer Henry McMahon, who tried to get them to talk to Koresh on the phone. Koresh offers to let ATF examine the weapons and documents of the Davidians Branch office and asks to speak with Aguilera, but Aguilera refuses. Sheriff Harwell told reporters about law enforcement that spoke with Koresh, "Go out and talk to them, what's wrong with telling them?" ATF started watching from a house across the street from the complex a few months before the siege. Their covers are very bad ("college students" are in their 30s, have new cars, are not registered in a local school, and do not have a timetable for their work or class). The inquiry included the sending of a secret agent, Robert Rodriguez, whose identity Koresh studied, although he chose not to disclose the fact until the day of the invasion.

ATF obtained a search warrant on suspicion that David's men modified weapons to possess illegal automatic shooting abilities. Former Davidian Branch Marc Breault claims that Koresh has a "lower M16 receiver" (incorporating a modified M16 component with a modified lower recipient AR16), according to ATF rules, "constructive ownership" of unregistered machine guns, set in Weapon Owner Fire Protection Act 1986).

Science Source - Branch Davidian Compound, Waco Siege, 1993

src: www.sciencesource.com

Raid

Preparation

Using an affidavit filed by Aguilera who alleges that David's men violated federal law, ATF obtained a search warrant and arrest for Cyrus and certain followers on weapons charges, citing many of the firearms they had collected. A search warrant ordered the search "on or before 28 February 1993", in the afternoon between 6 am and 10 pm. ATF makes claims that Koresh may operate the methamphetamine lab, to establish nexus drugs and acquire military assets under the War on Drugs. Although the ATF investigation "focuses on infringing firearms, not on illicit drugs", ATF requests help from DEA and DOD "citing drug relations" based on 1) recent deliveries to compounds "chemicals, instruments, and crafts "2) the written testimony of the former residents, accusing" Howell has told him that drug trafficking is the desired way to raise money "; 3) some of the current population who" had previous drug involvement "; 4) two former residents who were jailed for drug trafficking crimes, and 5) hot images of the National Guard overflights showing "hotspots within the complex, possibly indicating methamphetamine laboratories." Although initial requests for assistance were initially approved, detachment commanders questioned the request, and ATF just get a training venue in Fort Hood, Texas, from 25 February to 27 February with insp safety measures for the training path, and only training and medical and communications equipment are provided.

ATF had planned their attack for Monday, March 1, 1993, codenamed "Showtime". The ATF then claimed that the assault rose one day, to February 28, 1993, in response to the Waco Tribune-Herald series of articles (the ATF tried prevent it from being published). Beginning February 1st, ATF agents held three meetings with the Tribune-Herald staff regarding the postponement of "The Sinful Messiah" publication. The paper was first told by ATF that the attack will take place on February 22, which they changed to March 1, and then finally on an unspecified date. The ATF agent feels the newspaper has held back publications at the request of ATF for at least three weeks. In a Feb. 24 meeting between the Tribune-Herald staff and ATF agents Phillip Chojancki and two other agents, ATF could not give the newspaper staff a clear idea of â€‹â€‹what action was planned or when. The Tribune-Herald informed ATF that they published the series, which included an editorial that asked local authorities to act. Personnel of the Tribune-Herald knew about the attack as soon as the first installment of "The Sinful Messiah" had appeared on 27 February.

Although ATF preferred to capture Koresh when he was outside Mount Carmel, planners received inaccurate information that Koresh rarely left him. The members of David's Branch are renowned locally and have good relations with other locals. The Branch Davidians partially support themselves by trading at gun shows and taking care to have relevant documents to ensure their transactions are legal. Branch Davidian Paul Fatta is a licensed dealer of federal firearms, and the group operates a retail weapon business called Mag Bag. When the delivery for the Mag Bag arrives, they are signed by Fatta, Steve Schneider, or Koresh. The morning of the raid, Paul Fatta and son Kalani were on their way to Austin, Texas, a weapon show to do business.

February 28

ATF attempted to execute their search warrant on Sunday morning, February 28, 1993. Any advantage of the shock was lost when a KWTX-TV reporter who had been informed of the attack asked for directions from a US Postal mailer who happened to be Kakak's brother-in-law of Koresh. Koresh then told the ATF undercover agent, Robert Rodriguez that they knew there was an imminent attack. Rodriguez had infiltrated the Davidians Branch and was astonished to find that the lid had been blown up. The agent made excuses and left the compound. When asked later what David Branch had done when he left the compound, Rodriguez replied, "They are praying." The survivors of the Davidian branch wrote that Cyrus commanded his followers to begin arming and take up positions, while the women and children were told to take shelter in their rooms. Koresh tells them that he will try to talk to the agents, and what happens next will depend on the intentions of the agents.

Despite being told that the Davidians Branch knew an upcoming attack, the ATF commander ordered the raids to be carried out, although their plans depended on the achievement of the complex without the Davidians Branch being armed and prepared. Although not a standard procedure, ATF agents have their blood group written on their arms or necks after leaving the staging area and before the raids, so it is recommended by the military to facilitate rapid blood transfusions in cases of injury.

The ATF agent stated that they heard shots coming from within the compound, while survivors from the Davidian Branch claimed that the first shots came from ATF agents outside. The suggested reason is the unintentional release of weapons, possibly by ATF agents, causing ATF to respond with fire from automatic weapons. Another report claimed that the first shot was fired by the "dog team" ATF sent to kill the dogs at the Davidian Branch kennel. Three Helicopters The National Army Guard was used as an air diversion, and all took incoming fire but did not return fire. During the first shot, Koresh was injured, shot in the wrist. Within a minute of the attack, the Davidian Branch of Wayne Martin called for emergency services, begging them to stop shooting. The inhabitants asked for a truce, and an audio recording recorded he said, "They're coming again!" and, "That's them shooting! It's not us!"

The first ATF victim was an agent who made it to the west side of the building before he was injured. The agents quickly took shelter and fired on buildings while the helicopters began their diversion and wiped out the compound, 350 feet (105 m) from the building. The Branch Davidians fired on helicopters and attacked them, without injuring the crew, and the helicopter immediately stopped the mission and landed. On the eastern side of the compound, agents pulled two stairs and placed it on the side of the building. The agent then climbs to the roof with the aim of securing the roof to reach Koresh's room and weapons storage. On the western slope of the roof, three agents reached the window of Koresh and crouched beside him when they were attacked. One agent was killed and the other was wounded. The third agent ran on top of the roof and joined another agent who tried to enter the armory room. The window was destroyed, a flashbang booth grenade thrown into it, and three agents entered the armory room. When others tried to follow them, the rain of bullets pierced the wall and wounded him, but he was able to reach the stairs and glide to a safe place. An agent fired with his weapon in the Davidian Branch who shot him until he was beaten in the head and killed. Inside the armory room, the agents killed a man armed with the Branch of David and found a weapon stored there but then attacked with great fire; two people were injured. As they fled, the third agent laid fire, killing a Davidian Branch. When he ran away, he hit his head with a wooden block and fell off the roof but survived. An outside agent gave them a covering fire but was shot by a Davidian Branch and instantly died. Dozens of ATF agents took cover, many behind Branch Davidian vehicles, and exchanged fire with the Davidians Branch. The number of wounded ATFs increased, and an agent was killed by gunfire from the plot when agents fired on a Davidian Branch perched on top of a water tower. The fire battle continued, but 45 minutes after the attack, the shot began to slow as the agent began to run out of ammunition. The shooting continued for two hours.

Sheriff Lt. Lynch from the Sheriff County Department of McLennan contacted the ATF and negotiated a truce. Sheriff Harwell stated in the documentary William Gazecki Waco: The Rules of Engagement that ATF agents resigned only after they ran out of ammunition. ATF agent Chuck Hustmyre later wrote: "Approximately 45 minutes before the launch, the volumes of gunfire finally began to slack off.We ran out of ammunition, but the Davidians had plenty." After the ceasefire, the Davidian Branch allowed ATF to die and wounded to be evacuated and held back their shots during the ATF retreat.

Four ATF agents (Steve Willis, Robert Williams, Todd McKeehan, and Conway Charles LeBleu) were killed in the attack. 16 others were injured. The five Davidic men who died in the 9:45 attack that morning were Winston Blake, Peter Gent, Peter Hipsman, Perry Jones, and Jaydean Wendell; two people were killed at the hands of the Davidian Branch. Nearly six hours after the 11:30 truce, Michael Schroeder was shot dead by an ATF agent who accused him of firing a gun at agents when he tried to reenter the compound with Woodrow Kendrick and Norman Allison. The local Sheriff, in an audio recording aired after the incident, said he was not informed of the attack. The Alan A. Stone report stated that the Davidians Branch did not ambush ATF and that they "did not seem to maximize the killing of ATF agents", explaining that they are somewhat "desperate religious fanatics expecting apocalyptic ends, where they are destined to die defending their holy land and destined to achieve salvation. "The 1999 federal report noted:

The violent tendencies of dangerous cult can be classified into two general categories ---- defensive violence and offensive violence. Defensive hardness is used by sects to maintain a compound or enclave specifically created to remove most contact with the dominant culture. The 1993 clash in Waco, Texas at the Davidian Branch complex is a description of such defensive violence. History has shown that groups seeking to withdraw from dominant cultures rarely act on their belief that the end times have come unless provoked.

Event Chronology on February 28

src: cdn.cnn.com

Siege

ATF agents made contact with Cyrus and others inside the compound after they retreated. The FBI took command soon after as a result of the death of a federal agent, placing Jeff Jamar, head of San Antonio field office, in charge of the siege as Site Commander. The FBI Hazard Rescue Team (HRT) is led by HRT Commander Richard Rogers, who had previously been criticized for his actions during the Ruby Ridge incident. As in Ruby Ridge, Rogers often disregarded the Site Commander in Waco and had mobilized the Blue and Gold HRT tactical team to the same site, which ultimately created the pressure to resolve the situation tactically due to the lack of HRT reserves.

At first, David's people had phone contacts with the local news media, and Koresh gave a phone interview. The FBI cut Davidian communication to the outside world. Over the next 51 days, communications with people in it over the phone by a group of 25 FBI negotiators. A recent Justice Department report found that negotiators criticized tactical commanders to belittle negotiations.

In the first few days, the FBI believes that they have made a breakthrough when they negotiate with Cyrus an agreement that the members of David's Branch will leave the compound in peace in exchange for a message recorded by Koresh, broadcast on national radio. Broadcasts were made, but Koresh then told the negotiator that God had told him to stay in the building and "wait". Nonetheless, soon negotiators successfully facilitated the release of 19 children, ranging in age from five months to 12 years, without their parents. However, 98 people remained in the building. The boys were then interviewed by the FBI and Texas Rangers, hours after hours. Allegedly, the children had been physically and sexually abused long before the impasse. This is a key justification offered by the FBI (both to President Bill Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno) for launching a tear gas strike to force Davidians Branch members out of the compound.

During the siege, the FBI sent a video camera to the Davidians Branch. In a videotape made by Koresh's followers, Koresh introduced his sons and his "wives" to the FBI negotiators, including some minors who claimed to have babies born to Cyrus. (Koresh has been the father of perhaps 14 children who lived with him in the compound.) Some of David's Branch made a statement in the video. On the ninth day, Monday 8th March, the Davidian Branch sent a videotape to show the FBI that there were no hostages, but in fact everyone lived in their own free will. This video also includes a message from Koresh. The negotiator's log indicates that - when the tape was reviewed - there is concern that the recording to the media will gain sympathy for Koresh and the Branch Davidians. The video also shows 23 children still inside the compound, and outside childcare professionals prepare to take care of the children and 21 previously released children. As the siege continued, Koresh negotiated more time, presumably so he could write religious documents that he said needed to be solved before he surrendered. His conversation - packed with biblical imagery - alienated the federal negotiator, who treated the situation as a hostage crisis.

As the siege continues, two factions develop within the FBI, who believe in negotiations in response, others, strength. Increasingly aggressive techniques were used to force the members of the David Branch out (for example, the sleeplessness of the residents through the overnight footage of jet airplanes, pop music, singing, and the slaughter of bunnies slaughtered). Outside the complex, nine Bradley Fighting Vehicles (carrying tear gas grenades M651 CS and Ferret rounds) and five M728 Combat Engineer Vehicles (obtained from the US Army) began to patrol. Armored vehicles are used to destroy perimeter fences and other buildings and destroy the cars belonging to the Davidians Branch. Armored vehicles repeatedly drove over the graves of Davidian Branch Davidian despite the protests by the Davidians Branch and the negotiators. Two of the three water storage tanks on the roof of the main building have been damaged during the initial ATF attack. Eventually the FBI slashed all power and water into the compound, forcing the people in it to survive on rainwater and pile up MRE's military ranks. Criticism was later flattened by Schneider's lawyer Jack Zimmerman on the tactics of using sleep-and-peace-distracting voices against the Davidians Branch: "The bottom line is this - they try to have a sleep disorder and they try to take someone they deem unstable to begin with, and they're trying to drive him crazy, and then they're mad because he's doing something they say is irrational! "

Despite his increasingly aggressive tactics, Koresh ordered a group of followers to leave. Eleven people went and were arrested as material witnesses, with one person accused of conspiracy with murder. The willingness of the children to live with Cyrus interferes with the negotiators, who are not prepared to work around the religious fervor of the David Branch. However, when the siege took place, the children realized that the group of previous children who had gone with some women were immediately separated, and the women were arrested. During the siege, several scholars who studied apocalypticism in religious groups sought to persuade the FBI that the siege tactics used by government agents would only reinforce the impression in the Davidian Branch that they were part of the "end of the Bible" confrontation with cosmic meaning. is likely to increase the likelihood of harsh and deadly results.Its religious scholars point out that the group's beliefs may seem extreme, but to Religious Families their religious beliefs are so mean, and they are willing to die for them.

The discussions between Koresh and the negotiating team became increasingly difficult. He declared that he was the Second Coming of Christ and had been commanded by his father in heaven to remain in the compound. A week before the April 19 attacks, FBI planners considered using snipers to kill David Koresh and possibly other members of the Davidian Branch. The FBI voiced concern that the David Branch may commit mass suicide, as happened in 1978 in the Jonestown Jim Jones complex. Koresh has repeatedly rejected plans for mass suicide when confronted by negotiators during the impasse, and those leaving the compound do not see such preparations.

Waco' looks at Branch Davidian siege | Boston Herald

src: www.bostonherald.com

Last attack

The newly appointed US Attorney Janet Reno approved the recommendation of the FBI Danger Rescue Team to carry out the attack, having been told that her condition was deteriorating and that the children were tortured inside the compound. Reno made the FBI case to President Bill Clinton. Given the 19 April 1985 attack, The Covenant, The Sword, and Arm of the Lord (CSAL) in Arkansas (which ended without loss of life by a blockade without a deadline), President Clinton suggested a similar tactic against the Davidians Branch. Reno denied that the FBI Coal Rescue Team was tired of waiting; that the deadlock costs a million dollars a week; that Davidians Branch can last longer than CSAL; and that the possibility of child sexual abuse and mass suicide is imminent. Clinton later recounted: "Finally, I told him that if he thought it was the right thing to do, he could go on." Over the next few months, Janet Reno's reasons for approving the final gas attack varied from initial claims that the FBI Hazard Redirects Team had informed him that Koresh sexually harassed children and beat babies (the FBI Hazard Reduction Team later denied evidence of child abuse) during the impasse) to his claim that Linda Thompson and one-woman "Unorganized Militia from the United States" are on their way to Waco to help or attack Cyrus.

Because Davidians Branch is fully armed, the FBI Diving team is holding hostage including.50 caliber (12.7 mm) and Armored Engineered Vehicles (CEV). The attack took place on April 19, 1993. The CEVs used explosives to puncture holes in the walls of compound buildings so they could pump CS gas ("tear gas") and try to flush out the Davidians Branch without harming them. The plan is said to call for an increase in the amount of gas to be pumped in more than two days to increase pressure. Officially, no armed attack should be done and loudspeakers should be used to inform the Davidian Branch that there will be no armed attacks and ask them not to fire the vehicle. Rescue agents The FBI officers have been allowed to return any incoming shots, but no shots were fired by federal agents on April 19. When several members of the Davidi Branch opened fire, the FBI Rescue Team's response was to increase the amount of gas used.

The FBI Danger Rescue Team sent a 40-millimeter (1.6 inch) grenade grenade from the M79 grenade launcher; Early in the morning, the FBI Danger Rescue Team fired two M651 military bullets at the construction site of the River Daud. Around mid-morning, the FBI Danger Rescue Team began running low on 40 mm mm Ferret CS rounds and asked Texas Ranger Captain David Byrnes for a round of tear gas; the tear gas round obtained from the "F" Company in Waco turned out to be an unusable pyrotechnic round and returned to the Company's "F" office thereafter. 40 mm ammunition invented by Texas Rangers in Waco including dozens of plastic Ferret Model SGA-400 Liquid CS round, two metal M651E1 pyrotechnic military round tear gas, two metal NICO Pyrotechnik Sound & amp; Flash grenades, and parachute lighting flares. After more than six hours, no David Branch left the building, but took refuge in a concrete block space inside the building or using a gas mask. The FBI Danger Rescue Team states that CEV is used to create large holes in the building to provide an outlet for those inside.

Around noon, three fires occurred almost simultaneously in various parts of the building and spread rapidly. The government maintains the fire was deliberately started by the Residents of David's Branch. Some survivors of the Davidian Branch maintain that the fire was accidentally or intentionally initiated by the attack. Only nine people left the building during the fire. The remains of David's Branch, including children, were buried alive by rubble, suffocated by fire, or shot. Many are choked from a fire that is killed by smoke or inhalation of carbon monoxide and other causes when the fire engulfs the building. According to the FBI, Steve Schneider - Koresh's main aide - shot and killed Koresh and then committed suicide with the same gun. The record of the blaze was broadcast live by the television crew.

Chronology of events of April 19

April 19th Fatalities

In total, 76 Tunas Daud was killed, and nine survived the fire on April 19 (the other five were killed in early ATF attacks, and their bodies were buried in the ground; one was killed by ATF after the attack; and 35 had left during the FBI siege).

Large body concentrations, weapons, and ammunition were found in bunkers. The Texas Rangers' assassin investigation report assumes that many of the occupants are denied from the inside or refused to leave until the escape is not an option. It also mentions that structural debris from breaking operations in the western end of the building could block escape routes possible through the tunnel system. An independent investigation by two experts from the University of Maryland Fire Protection Department concluded that the residents of the complex had sufficient time to escape from the fire, if they so desired.

The autopsy of the dead reveals that some women and children found beneath the concrete walls that fell from the storage room died of a skull injury. Other autopsy photographs of children locked in what looked like spasmic death poses were consistent with cyanide poisoning, one of the results produced by CS gas combustion. A US Department of Justice report shows that only one body has traces of benzene, one of the components of dispersed CS gas, but gas insertion has been completed almost an hour before the fire begins, and that is enough time for the solvent. to evict from the bodies of the Davidian Branch who had inhaled tear gas.

The autopsy records also show that at least 20 David's fiance was shot, including five children under the age of 14. Dayland Gent who was three years old was stabbed in the chest. The medical examiner performing the autopsy believed this death was a merciful killing by the Davidians Branch who were trapped in the fire without escaping. Experts held by the US Special Advisory Office concluded that many gunshot wounds "support self-destruction either by excessive suicide, consensual execution (suicide by deputy), or less likely, forced executions."

src: i.ytimg.com

Aftermath

The new ATF director, John Magaw, criticized some aspects of the ATF attack. Magaw makes the Treasury's "Blue Book" report in Waco require readings for new agents. The 1995 Government Accountability Office report on the use of force by federal law enforcement agencies observes that, "based on the Treasury report on Waco operations and the views of tactical operations experts and ATF personnel themselves, the ATF decided in October 1995 that dynamic entries would only be planned after all other options be considered and start adjusting its training. "

Nothing is left of the current building other than the concrete foundation component, as the entire site is swamped two weeks after the siege ends. Only a small chapel, built many years after the siege, stood on the site.

Trial

The events in Waco encouraged both criminal prosecution and civil litigation. On August 3, 1993, the federal grand jury returned the indictment of ten substitute charges against 12 of the surviving Davidians Branch. The grand jury accused, inter alia, that the David Branch had conspired for, and assisted and abetted, murdered federal officers, and illegally owned and used various firearms. The government dismissed allegations against one of the 12 Branches of Davidian based on a plea bargain.

After the jury lasted for almost two months, the jury released four of the Davidians Branch over all charges. In addition, the jury acquitted all Branch Davidians on charges related to murder but convicted five of them with lower allegations, including helping and conspiring with the federal killings of federal agents. Eight Branches Davidians was sentenced to gun charges.

The Davidians, who were convicted, who received a sentence of up to 40 years, were:

Kevin A. Whitecliff - convicted of voluntary murder and firearms during a crime.
Jaime Castillo - convicted of voluntary killing and using firearms during a crime.
Paul Gordon Fatta - was convicted of a conspiracy to own a machine gun and assist Davidian Davidian Branch leader in possession of a machine gun.
Graeme Leonard Craddock (Australian citizen) - convicted of possession of a grenade and use or possession of a firearm during a crime.
Brad Eugene Branch - convicted of voluntary murder and using firearms during a crime.
Livingstone Fagan (British citizen) - convicted of voluntary killing and using firearms during a crime.
Ruth Riddle (Canadian citizen) - convicted of using or carrying weapons during a crime.
Kathryn Schroeder - was sentenced to three years after pleading guilty to charges of forcibly reducing arrest.

Six of the eight Branches of David drew both their sentences and their convictions. They raised a number of issues, challenged the constitutionality of the ban on machine gun ownership, jury instruction, court district courts against trials, sufficient evidence, and sentences imposed. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit emptied the defendants' punishment for using machine guns, stating that the district court made no finding that they "actively used" weapons, but left the verdict undisturbed in all other respects, in the United States v. Branch, 91 F.3d 699 (5th Cir. 1996), cert. rejected (1997).

At the time of detention, the district court found that the defendants had actively used machine guns and again sentenced five of them with considerable prison sentences. The defendants again appealed. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal affirms. The Branch Davidians pressed the issue before the United States Supreme Court. The Supreme Court reverses, arguing that the term "machine gun" in the relevant law creates an element of offense to be determined by a jury, rather than a factor of punishment that must be determined by a judge, as has happened in court. On September 19, 2000, Judge Walter Smith followed the Supreme Court's instructions and cut 25 years from the sentence of five convicted Branch Davidians, and five years from the punishment of others. All David Branches have been released from prison in July 2007.

Civil settings

Some of the surviving Davidus Branch, as well as more than a hundred family members of those who have died or been injured in the confrontation, carry civilian clothes against the US government, many federal officials, former Texas governor Ann Richards, and members of the Texas Army's National Forces. They seek monetary damages under the Federal Tort Claim Act, Civil rights law, Influenced Organization and Corruption Ordinance, and the laws of the state of Texas. Most of these claims are dismissed because they are not sufficient as a matter of law or because the plaintiff can not advance material evidence to support them.

The court, after a month-long trial, rejected David's House cases. The court found that, on February 28, 1993, the Davidians Branch started a gun battle when they fired on federal officers who tried to serve legal orders. ATF agents returned fire to the building, the court ruled, to protect themselves and other agents from death or serious bodily harm. The court found that the government planned the siege - that is, the decision to use tear gas against the David Branch; to enter tear gas with military vehicles; and to remove specific plans for the possibility that fires will erupt - is a free function that can not be sued by the government. The court also found that the use of tear gas is not negligent. Furthermore, even if the United States government is negligent by causing damage to the building before a fire occurs, thereby blocking the escape route or allowing fires to spread faster, the negligence does not legally cause the plaintiff's injury because the Davidians Branch started a fire.

The Branch Davidians appealed. Their opinion is that the judge of the court, Walter S. Smith, Jr., should resign from hearing their claims because of his relationship with the defendant, defense lawyer, and court staff; previous legal determination; and comments during the trial. The Fifth Circuit concludes that these accusations do not reflect behavior that would cause a reasonable observer to question Judge Smith's impartiality, and that confirms a pointless assessment, in Andrade v. Chojnacki, 338 F.3d 448 (5th Cir. 2003), cert. rejected (2004).

English citizen

Thirty-three Britons were among the members of David's Branch during the siege. Twenty-four of them were among the 80 Davidian Branches (in the 28 February attack and 19 April attacks), including at least one child. Two other Britons who survived the siege were immediately arrested as "material witnesses" and imprisoned without trial for months.

Derek Lovelock was held in County McLennan County for seven months, often in solitary confinement. Livingstone Fagan, another British citizen, who was among those convicted and jailed, said he received several beatings at the hands of correctional officers, mainly in Leavenworth. There, Fagan claimed to have been watered in his cell with cold water from a high-pressure hose, after which the industrial fan was placed outside the cell, blowing it up with cold air. Fagan is repeatedly moved between at least nine different facilities. She was doodled every time she was exercising, so she refused to exercise. Released and deported back to England in July 2007, he still held his religious beliefs.

The role of anti-cult activist

In the weeks before the attack, Rick Ross, a self-deposed cultist and deprogrammer affiliated with the Culture Awareness Network, appeared on major networks such as NBC and CBS in connection with Cyrus. Ross then describes his role in advising authorities about the people of David and Cyrus, and what actions should be taken to end the siege. He was quoted as saying that he was consulted by ATF and he contacted the FBI on March 4, 1993, requesting "that he be interviewed about his knowledge of worship in general and Davidian Branch in particular". The FBI reports that it does not depend on Ross to ask for any advice during the deadlock, but that he conducts interviews and receives feedback from him. Ross also telephoned the FBI on March 27 and March 28, offering advice on the negotiation strategy, pointing out that the FBI "attempted to embarrass Koresh by notifying other members of the complex about Cyrus's errors and failings in life, to convince them that Cyrus was not the prophet they had lead to believe ". ATF also contacted Ross in January 1993 for information on Koresh.

Some authors have documented the role of the Cultural Awareness Network in relation to the government's decision on Waco. Mark MacWilliams notes that several studies have shown how "fake cultivators such as Ross, anticultural organizations such as Cult Awareness Network (CAN), and dissatisfied Branch Davidian defectors such as Breault play an important role in popularizing the harsh negative image of Cyrus as dangerous. cult Described as "self-obsessed, selfish, sociopathic, and callous", Koresh is often characterized as a religious madman who punishes his followers for mass suicide or fraud who manipulates religion for his peculiar private gain. " According to religious scholars Phillip Arnold and James Tabor who seek to help resolve the conflict, "the crisis need not end tragically if only the FBI is more open to Religious Studies and better able to distinguish between Ross's dubious ideas and scientific expertise." In a March 2010 article in New Yorker, author Malcolm Gladwell wrote that Arnold and Tabor told the FBI that Koresh needed to be convinced of an alternative interpretation of the Revelation, which did not necessarily involve a violent end. They made a recording that was played for Koresh, and seemed to convince him. However, the FBI only waited three days before starting the attack, instead it was estimated that two weeks for Koresh to finish the script triggered by this alternative interpretation, and then come out peacefully.

The Waco Siege: looking back 25 years later - MYEASTTEX

src: media.easttexasmatters.com

Controversy

Rolland Ballestros, one of the agents assigned to the ATF door team who attacked the front door, told Texas Rangers and Waco police that he thought the first shots came from the ATF dog team assigned to neutralize the David Branch dogs, but later in court he insisted that David's Branch had shot first. The Branch Davidians claimed that the ATF door team then opened fire on the door, and they returned fire to defend themselves. The Austin Chronicle article noted, "Long before the fire, David's men were discussing evidence at the door During the siege, in a phone conversation with the FBI, Steve Schneider, one of Koresh's chief beliefs, the agent said The FBI that 'the evidence from the front door will clearly show how many bullets and what's happening'. "Houston lawyer Dick DeGuerin, who entered into Mount Carmel during the siege, testified in the trial that the protruding metal inside the right entrance makes clear that bullet holes are made by coming rounds. DeGuerin also testified that only the right entrance has a bullet hole, while the left entrance is intact. The government presented the left entrance at the trial, claiming that the right entrance was missing. The left door contains many bullet holes created by both turns coming in and out. Texas Trooper Sgt. David Keys testified that he witnessed two people loading what should be the missing door into the U-Haul van shortly after the siege had ended, but he did not see the object itself. "The fact that the left door is in a condition where it tells you that the right door is not consumed by fire is lost on purpose by someone." Caddell did not offer any evidence to support the allegations this, which was never proven. However, fire investigators state that "it is very unlikely" that the correct steel door could be damaged in a fire much larger than the remaining steel doors, and both doors will be found together. The right door is still missing, and the entire site under strict supervision by law enforcement officers until the wreckage - including both doors - has been removed.

Helicopters have been obtained from Alabama and Texas National Guard on the pretext that there is a drug lab on Mount Carmel. However, there were no drug-related allegations on the arrest warrant presented on the morning of February 28, 1993. The official version of the event always states that the helicopter was only used as a diversion, that the crew only had 9 millimeters of sidearm, and no shots were made of them.

Critics point out that, during the final raid, CS gas was injected into the building by armored vehicles in an unsafe way, which could start a fire. While two of the three fires started well inside the building, away from where the CS gas was pumped in, survivors David Thibodeau stated in a 1999 interview with the reasons that damage to buildings allowed gas to spread, stating, "They start breaking down walls, breaking windows down, spreading CS gas out. " The FBI has installed surveillance equipment on the walls of the building, which captures a number of conversations the government claims as evidence that the people of David started a fire. The tape is imperfect and often difficult to understand, and two transcriptions made have differences at many points. According to reporter Diana Fuentes, when the April 19 FBI tapes were played in court during the Davidian Branch trial, few people heard what the FBI audio experts had heard; cassette "is filled with sound, and the sound is only occasionally seen. [...] The words are unconscious; some observers of the courtroom say they hear it, some do not." The Branch Davidians have given an unpleasant warning involving fire on several occasions. This may or may not indicate the future action of the David Branch, but is the basis for Congress's conclusion that the fire was initiated by the David Branch population, "no other potential ignition source." This was before the FBI's recognition that fireworks were used, but a year-long investigation by the Office of the Special Advisers after that admission reached the same conclusion, and no further congress investigation followed. During the 1999 deposition for civilian clothes by survivors from the Davidian Branch, Graeme Craddock's fire victims were interviewed. He stated that he saw some Branch Davidians move about a dozen gallons (3.8 L) of fuel cans so they would not be crushed by armored vehicles, hear talk about pouring fuel outside the building, and, after a fire started, something sounds like "lighting a fire" from someone else. The book of Professor Kenneth of Newport The Branch Davidians of Waco tried to prove that the start of the fire itself was planned ahead of time and consistent with the theology of Branch Davidians. He cites as conversation evidence the FBI records during the siege, testimony of survivors Clive Doyle and Graeme Craddock, and diesel fuel purchases a month before the start of the siege.

Attorney General Reno specifically directed that no pyrotechnic device was used in the attack. Between 1993 and 1999, an FBI spokesman denied (even under oath) the use of all kinds of pyrotechnic devices during the attack; However, Flot-Rite CS gas grenades have been found in debris immediately after the fire. In 1999, the FBI spokesman was forced to admit that they had used a grenade; however, they claim that this device - which transmits CS gas through internal combustion processes - has been used during the morning attempt to pierce the closed construction pit, containing 40 yards (35m) of water and not fired into the building. According to the FBI claim, the fire started about three hours after the grenade was fired. When the FBI documents were submitted to Congress for investigation in 1994, the listing page for the use of pyrotechnic devices was lost. Failure for six years to reveal the use of fireworks despite his specific directions caused Reno to demand an investigation. A senior FBI official told Newsweek that as many as 100 FBI agents had known about the use of fireworks, but none spoke until 1999. On May 12, less than a month after the incident, the state of Texas parties authorized to bulldoze the site, so that further forensic evidence collection becomes impossible.

The FBI received a contradictory account of the possibility of Koresh's suicide and was not sure if he would commit suicide. The evidence makes them believe that there is no possibility of mass suicide, with Koresh and Schneider repeatedly refusing to negotiators that they have plans to commit mass suicide, and those who leave the compound say they have not seen any preparation for the matter something like that. It is possible that some of his followers would follow Koresh if he committed suicide. According to Alan A. Stone's report, during the FBI siege using the wrong psychiatric perspective to evaluate Branch Davidian responses, which led them to rely too heavily on Cyrus's statements that they would not commit suicide. According to Stone, this wrong evaluation caused the FBI not to ask questions relating to Cyrus and to others in the complex about whether they planned mass suicides. The more important question is, "What would you do if we tighten the rope around the complex to show incredible strength, and use CS gas, forcing you out?" Stone writes:

Tactical arm of federal law enforcement may conventionally consider the other party as a group of criminals or as a military force or, in general, as an aggressor. However, the Family of David Branch is an unusual group in a state of high mind, disturbed, and desperate. They were devoted to David Koresh as the Lamb of God. They are willing to die defending themselves at the apocalyptic end and, alternatively, for suicide and their children. However, they are not psychiatric depressed people, suicidal or cold-blooded killers. They are ready to risk death as a test of their faith. Such behavioral psychology - along with its religious significance for the Branch Davidians - is mistakenly evaluated, if not ignored, by those responsible for the FBI's "tightening rope" strategy. The show of extraordinary power did not go in the way of tactics experts. That does not provoke the members of the David Branch to surrender, but it may have incited David Koresh to order mass murder.

Danforth Report

The Oklahoma City bombing of April 1995 caused the media to review many of the questionable aspects of government action in Waco, and many Americans who previously supported the action began to seek an investigation. In 1999 - as a result of certain aspects of the documentary discussed above, as well as allegations made by supporters for the Davidians Branch during litigation - public opinion stated that the federal government had been involved in serious offenses in Waco. The Time poll conducted on 26 August 1999, for example, showed that 61 percent of the public believed that federal law enforcement officials started a fire at the Davidian Branch complex. In September 1999, Attorney General Reno appointed former US Senator John C. Danforth as Special Adviser to investigate the matter. In particular, the Special Counsel is directed to investigate allegations that government agents initiated or spread the fire in the Mount Carmel complex, directing shots to the Davidians Branch, and unlawfully hiring the United States armed forces. A year-long investigation ensued, in which the Office of the Special Advisers interviewed 1,001 witnesses, reviewed more than 2.3 million pages of documents, and examined thousands of pounds of physical evidence.

In "The final report to the Deputy General Prosecutor on the 1993 confrontation at the Mount Carmel Complex, Waco Texas" on 8 November 2000, Danforth Special Adviser concluded that the allegations were groundless. However, the report found that certain government officials have failed to disclose during litigation against the Davidians Branch the use of pyrotechnic devices in the compound, and hindered the investigation of the Special Adviser. Disciplinary action is pursued against those people. The allegation that the government started the fire was largely based on FBI agents who had fired three rounds of "pyrotechnic" tear gas, which were delivered on a burning charge. The Special Adviser concluded that the round did not initiate or contribute to the spreading of the fire, based on the findings that the FBI fired a bullet almost four hours before the fire began, in a concrete construction pit partly filled with water, 75 feet (23 m) away and downwind from residence main complex. The Special Adviser noted, on the contrary, that the interceptions recorded David's Branch conversations included statements such as "David says we should get fuel on" and "So we turn it on first when they come with the right tank [...] just as they enter." Branch Davidians who survived the fire admitted that other Davidians Branch started the fire. FBI agents watched the Daud Branch members pour fuel and light a fire, and recorded these observations simultaneously. Laboratory analysis found acceleration in Davidians Branch outfits, and investigators found stolen fuel cans and self-made torches at the site. Based on this evidence and testimony, the Special Adviser concludes that the fire was initiated by the David Branch population.

The allegation that government agents fired shots into the compound on April 19, 1993, is based on forward looking infrared (FLIR) video recorded by Night Stalkers aircraft. These tapes show 57 flashes, with some going on around government vehicles operating near the complex. The Office of Special Advisers conducted FLIR technology field tests on March 19, 2000, to determine whether firearm shots caused flashes. The tests were conducted under a protocol approved and signed by lawyers and experts for the Davidians Branch and their families, as well as for the government. Analysis of the shape, duration, and location of the flash indicates that they are generated from the reflection of debris in or around the complex, rather than shots. In addition, an independent expert review of photography taken on the scene shows no one at or near the points from which flashes radiate. Davidus Branch interviews, government witnesses, filmmakers, writers and supporters for the Davidians Branch found that no one witnessed the government's weapons burst on April 19th. None of the Davidians who died that day showed evidence of being hit by high speed. round, as expected if they were shot from outside the compound by a government sniper rifle or other assault weapon.

In light of this evidence, the Special Adviser concluded that the claim that the government shot occurred on April 19, 1993, amounted to "a case that is not fully supported based on defective technology assumptions." The Special Adviser considers whether the military use of active duty in Waco violates the Posse Comitatus Or Military Assistance Law for Law Enforcement Act. This law generally prohibits direct military participation in law enforcement functions but does not preclude indirect support such as loan equipment, training in the use of equipment, offers expert advice, and provides equipment maintenance. The Special Adviser noted that the military provides "a lot" of equipment loans to ATF and FBI, including - among other things - two tanks, offensive capabilities that have been disabled. In addition, the military provides limited medical advice, training and medical support. The Special Adviser concluded that these acts were indirect military assistance within the limits of applicable law. The Texas National Guard, in its state of affairs, also provides large loans for military equipment, as well as conducting reconnaissance flights over the Branch Davidian complex. Because the Posse Comitatus Act does not apply to the National Guard in its state status, the Special Adviser has determined that the National Guard legitimately provides its assistance.

Lawyer David Koresh calls Danforth reporting chalk. Ramsey Clark - the former US Attorney General, representing survivors from David's Branch and his relatives in a civil suit - said the report "failed to explain the obvious": "History will record clearly, I am sure, that this attack took place in Mount Carmel Church Center remains the biggest domestic law enforcement tragedy in US history. "