‘Waco: The Texas Apocalypse’: 6 terrifying details about the massacre that rocked the world in ’93

In recent days the words “Waco”, “cult”, “Koresh”, “massacre” and “Davidians” have begun to be Googled intensely. This is due to the Netflix premiere of the documentary miniseries Waco: The Texas Apocalypse, which narrates in three chapters the bloody 1993 confrontation between a group of religious fanatics and the US police.

He rebirth of the argument is justified: the story is as chilling as it is cinematic. The brutal sieges of Waco resulted in 86 deaths, including 23 children.

Most were members of the Davidic sect led by David Koresh (born Vernon Wayne Howell). Six religious and four agents of the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Agency (ATF, for its acronym in English) of the United States died in the first crossing and 76 Davidians died in the final siege due to a large fire of doubtful origin.

The first clash took place at the headquarters of the cult, the complex / ranch Mount Carmel Centerin Texas, northeast of Waco, after the US government ordered a raid and the arrest of Koresh and other Davidian members for illegal weapons possession.

The first shooting, triggered by the clerics’ refusal to let the police in, took place on February 28, 1993. The last, which killed 76 people and closed the case, was on April 19.

So let’s review 6 shocking facts about this violent massacre which symbolized the violence of a decade in the United States.

1. The initial attack

In the first siege, 4 ATF agents and 6 Davidians died. Michael Schröderone of the sectarians, fell into Agency hands six hours after the ceasefire while returning from work.

This particular case is undoubtedly not.. The government said police acted in response to a Davidian fire attack, while Schroeder’s wife maintained her husband had never been involved in the firefight and was innocent.

2. Children released

After ATF members were killed, the FBI was able to convince Koresh to release 19 children in his care from the ranch. Later it would be known the children had been abused long before the police attack.

3. An entire army

On March 9, the FBI has assembled an army of 700 agents with a clear goal: to drive the Branch Davidians out of their fort and defend themselves against their attacks. For this they had armored cars and helicopters.

Also, to complicate life as a whole, the FBI cut off their water and lit up buildings with powerful lights to disturb their sleep patterns.

4. The final fire

76 Davidians died on the day of the final siege. Among them was Koresh. The Mount Carmel Center was reduced to zero when the slaughter ended.

Victims died from landslides, burns, bullets, or the suffocating effects of the fire. The curious thing is that the cause of origin of the flames is not fully determined. There are conflicting arguments.

The government’s version is that the fire was set on purpose by Davidians such as a collective suicide.

Surviving sectarians, however, claimed that the building caught fire as a result of crossfire between the two sides, which combined shells with flammable gas. Some believe that some FBI tanks that overturned near the fighting zone fueled the flames.

5. The Fatal Inheritance

Exactly two years later, the terrorist Timothy McVeigh chose the second anniversary of the Waco Massacre as the date to carry out the infamous Oklahoma bombing. On April 19, 1995, McVeigh used a truck bomb to do his job, killing 168 and injuring more than 600.

6. A dangerous leader

Koresh, his wife of 14 years, and the rest of his followers – who believed in him as Christ incarnate – were cornered at the Waco ranch at the time of the confrontation. By then, Koresh had spent more than $250,000 worth of weapons be prepared for when the time comes for the persecution of “Evil”…