The Waco siege was a siege of a compound belonging to the religious group Branch Davidians by American federal and Texas state law enforcement and military between February 28 and April 19, 1993. The incident began when the ATF attempted to raid the ranch with reference to search and arrest warrants, but the Branch Davidians defended themselves tirelessly because the excepted the end of days. An intense gun battle erupted, resulting in the deaths of four agents and six Branch Davidians. Upon the ATFs failure to raid the compound, a siege was initiated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the standoff lasting 51 days. Eventually, the FBI launched an assault and initiated a tear gas attack in an attempt to force the Branch Davidians out. During the attack, a fire engulfed Mount Carmel Center: Only nine people left the building during the fire, although armored vehicles of the FBI breached the wall at multiple occasions, to help the Davidians leave the compound. The remaining 76 people in Mount Carmel Center died in the increasing inferno.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 08:29:03 +0000