within the compound that the Davidians had been
tipped off about the raid, thus eliminating the ele-
ment of surprise, but ordered the raid to proceed
regardless. Testimonial and video evidence also sug-
gested that the FBI unnecessarily engaged in behav-
ior that served to agitate an already volatile situation
and group of people in the compound, had been fir-
ing artillery into the compound despite official
statements that this was not happening, and ignored
expert psychological profiles and expert recommen-
dations on how to best handle the situation. Allega-
tions also surfaced suggesting that the FBI had been
(either intentionally or negligently) responsible for
starting the fire.
Waco and the Oklahoma City Bombing On April
19, 1995, exactly two years after the Davidian com-
pound burned to the ground, Timothy McVeigh, a
decorated Army veteran who served in the Gulf War,
detonated a car bomb at the Alfred P. Murrah Fed-
eral Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The ex-
plosion killed 168 people and injured hundreds of
others in and around the building. The attack has re-
mained the most deadly domestic terrorist attack
perpetrated against Americans on American soil.
McVeigh repeatedly claimed the bombing to be
retaliation against the government for what he
viewed as complicit actions by the ATF and FBI dur-
ing the Ruby Ridge and Waco standoffs. Evidence of
this motivation eventually surfaced when it was re-
vealed that McVeigh had shown up in Waco during
the standoff and made comments that were critical
of the government’s actions.Impact The siege at Waco was a part of a domino ef-
fect that raised poignant questions about the behav-
ior of federal law-enforcement agencies during the
1990’s. The decade was a time when the use of mili-
tary tactics and techniques in domestic law enforce-
ment was increasing exponentially. American soci-
ety was faced with questions about how to balance
the civil rights and liberties of fringe social groups
against the right of law-enforcement agencies to
proactively protect society from perceived threats.
The events at Ruby Ridge and Waco also created an
impetus for the federal government to revisit its pol-The Nineties in America Waco siege 901
Fire consumes the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, on April 19, 1993.(AP/Wide World Photos)