Siege of Waco ends, 76 dead

Yesterday’s failed attempt by the FBI to resolve the siege resulted in a significant change in the tactics of the case, which has captured the world’s attention because of its large numbers of Australians, British, New Zealanders and Israelis. Cult member.

Only nine survivors of yesterday’s tragedy remain at the Branch Davidian property on the windswept Texas prairie, 15 kilometers from Waco.

Waco’s FBI operations chief, Bob Bryx, said investigators will begin a full search to recover the bodies this morning when the heat from the blaze is expected to subside. The site spans the entire city block and is believed to include tunnels under the main buildings.

Koresh’s Continued Shaking of Believers – A Survivor Said He Told They They Would Reunite In Heaven Through Flames – One Female Cult Member Tried To Return To Hell And Jumped Down FBI Graphically illustrated when he had to be detained by investigators.. from the tank.

An Australian citizen was one of the survivors of the post-apocalyptic finale of the siege. The man, identified by Australian authorities as Graeme Craddock, 31, was unharmed and taken to a Waco prison.

A total of 36 other residents (15 adults and 21 children) have come out individually or in small groups since the stalemate began.

Koresh was often speculated that his loyalties were freeing the least reliable people in order to surround himself with only complete loyalists. The way they did it suggested that they were really loyal cores.

Another Australian, 19-year-old Oliver Galfus, has been in the same prison as a key witness to the incident since leaving the facility five weeks ago.

At least seven Australian citizens remain missing after the fire, said Peter Urban, the Australian consul based in Houston. Discussed fate with US officials.

“Our role is to ensure that those in custody are treated equally under the law and receive medical care,” Urban said.

More than a dozen Australian-born followers and their children were involved in the cult, but many changed their citizenship, so the exact number is unknown.

FBI officials said the decision to cut holes in the L-shaped complex’s faded pink walls and douse them with tear gas was made late Saturday night, with Mr. Reno making the final decision with federal officials in Waco. said he had agreed.

they tried to negotiate. They cut off telephones and electricity, surrounded the compound with concertina he wires, and bombarded cultists all night with the sounds of dentist drills, locomotives, and rabbits being slaughtered.

At each step, agents received no indication that the costly standoff could be ended without further loss of life.

The siege began with a shootout with the cult in February that killed four police officers from a team from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms dispatched to a complex outside Waco to arrest Koresh for illegal weapons possession. rice field.

Ironically, the ATF was perceived to have foiled the first raid, which led the FBI to become involved in the case.

Some cult members have confirmed that Koresh had stockpiled weapons in preparation for what he had long prophesied. This could be a post-apocalyptic shootout with law enforcement officers that portend the end of the world, where cult members go to heaven.

Late last night, nothing remained of the compound except for a cinder block structure in smoldering ruins that agents said Koresh had intended as a bunker.

Agents said there were many bodies inside, but they were unable to give an exact number, and there was no indication that Koresh’s body had been identified.

A few minutes after noon local time, a fire broke out on the second floor of the northeast wing of the wooden compound, officially known as Mount Carmel, although the surrounding countryside is perfectly flat.

Bolstered by strong winds and some type of internal accelerator, the fire spread rapidly, consuming the entire building in less than half an hour. One of the last things to hell was a pole with a modified Star of David flag that had been flying since day three of the standoff.

One of the major questions that remained unresolved was why so little firefighting preparation was done.

No fire engines appeared to be on site when the fire started, and not a single fire engine was seen on the property until approximately 30 minutes after the fire started.Waco officials said the fire was well advanced before they got the call

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final battle

6:05 am An armored vehicle crashes into the site wall near the main entrance. Tear gas is injected into the building through a hole while loudspeakers urge those inside to surrender. Cult members open fire on tanks.

7:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon Armored vehicles continue to punch holes in wooden structures, inject tear gas, and severely damage the exterior.

12:10 pm Smoke comes out of some windows, followed by flames. Twenty-five minutes later, the entire premises are on fire. Within minutes the entire building collapsed.

On July 23, 2000, the Herald reported: Outside investigators said he exonerated Attorney General Janet Leno and the U.S. government of wrongdoing in the 1993 siege near Waco, Texas, which killed more than 80 people. He accused members of the splinter Davidian faction of shooting their own people and setting the fire that ended the siege. He said he was “100% sure” that he had not shot, misused his soldiers or set up a cover-up. “The tragedy in Waco hinges on a particular branch his Davidians and their leader David Koresh,” he said.