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04/09/93
Sect dims hopes of surrender after Passover
By Christy Hoppe / The Dallas Morning News
WACO-David Koresh and his followers Thursday again dimmed hopes that they will emerge from the Branch Davidian compound soon after their observation of Passover ends Wednesday.
In a telephone conversation Thursday morning, Koresh lieutenant Steve Schneider told FBI negotiators that, "he never understood what the big deal was about Passover. And he was wondering why everybody was putting so much stock in them coming out after the passing of Passover,' FBI Special Agent Bob Ricks said.
Agent Ricks called the conversation "disheartening' but noted that the religious cult members had back-tracked on promises before. He said he still holds out some hope that the 40-day standoff might end next week.
Houston attorneys Jack Zimmermann and Dick DeGuerin met with the cult leader and Mr. Schneider on Sunday and reported that the 96 Branch Davidians were likely to peacefully leave their compound after Passover.
"Now, Mr. Schneider said he doesn't know where that came from,' Agent Ricks said.
Mr. Zimmermann said Thursday that he still believes the siege might end soon after Mr. Koresh completes his seven-day observation of the holiday.
"They agreed that it would be in their best legal interest to follow our advice and come out peacefully,' Mr. Zimmermann said.
"We didn't give anybody a date. Mr. DeGuerin was asked if he thought they would come out soon after Passover. He said he thought they would. We remain in that position.'
Agent Ricks again stressed Thursday that the FBI will not wait forever.
"If that doesn't happen, we're going to have to regroup, and we'll have to decide what other measures we can take,' he said. "There are other weapons in our arsenal.'
Agent Ricks did not elaborate.
The apparent backtracking by Mr. Schneider followed a night of
bangs and flashes set off by FBI agents after a person in the compound exited through a window about 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Agent Ricks said he thought the person might have been trying to retrieve firewood or water, an act violating the FBI's requirement that anyone leaving the compound must get federal permission, especially at night when FBI agents fear sniper or other attacks.
The FBI agent said that as soon as someone was seen crawling out the window, incendiary devices and loud bangs were set off to chase him back inside.
Mr. Schneider quickly called the FBI after the devices were set off but refused to confirm to the agency that someone had left the compound.
Mr. Koresh also talked to the FBI, and Agent Ricks said the leader also was reminded that no one could leave the compound unannounced.
After Mr. Koresh responded with a barrage of angry swearing, "we hung up on Mr. Koresh because of his abusive language,' he said.
Despite his claims to be Jesus Christ, he added, "David Koresh regularly uses four-letter words, and some of them are a little longer than that.'
Authorities also seemed unconcerned that any future investigations might be compromised by the presence of a former law enforcement officer among the Branch Davidians. Jaydean Wendel, 34, served as a Honolulu police officer for 10 months in 1980 and 1981, said Police Department spokeswoman Jean Motoyama.
During that time, Ms. Wendel was assigned to the Waikiki and downtown Honolulu area, where she probably served on foot patrol, Ms. Motoyama said.
Ms. Wendel and her husband Mark are both believed to remain in the compound. Their four children have been released. Mr. Wendel previously worked as a golf course groundskeeper, according to the Honolulu Advertiser.
On Thursday, federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Special Agent David Troy said he could not comment on a report that a federal undercover agent in the Branch Davidian compound advised his supervisors to cancel the Feb. 28 raid.
A story in the Houston Chronicle, citing two unidentified sources, reported that an undercover agent inside the compound just before the raid told his supervisors in Waco and Washington to cancel the action because Mr. Koresh had gotten a telephone tip warning that ATF agents were on the way.
The newspaper also reported that the undercover agent had recounted his warning and his shock that the warning wasn't heeded to Texas Rangers investigating the deaths of four agents killed during the raid.
Agent Troy was questioned intensely about the report at the Thursday news briefing but repeatedly refused to comment, citing an ongoing investigation.
When pressed, he repeated his agency's assertion "that the information raid team supervisors had at the time they launched the raid indicated to us that our tactical plan was viable.'
Two federal law enforcement offficials familiar with the raid and ongoing Rangers investigation said Thursday that some-but not all- of the newspaper story was accurate.
One official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the undercover agent's account to ATF investigators shortly after the raid differed from the sworn statement he gave to Texas Rangers two days later.
"The (undercover agent's) story has become more definitive as to what he saw and observed as time has gone on. It has become more emphatic, the surety that Koresh had to know something,' the source said.
The agent's statement to the Rangers also is at odds with sworn statements taken from agents who were inside the house where the undercover agent went after leaving the compound and raid commanders who spoke to the agent about conditions inside the compound, the official said.
"Their recollection of what happened and what was said is different than his,' the source said.
The official said the undercover agent spoke only to raid tactical commanders in Waco and reported to them that Mr. Koresh was nervous and agitated after taking a telephone call.
"No call was made to Washington,' the official said. "All the decisions were made in Waco.'
Another official, who helped plan and participated in the raid, said the undercover agent also reported that Mr. Koresh also specifically told his followers that ATF was "on the way.'
But that official insisted that the undercover agent did not urge his superiors to cancel or postpone the raid, which capped an eight-month investigation dubbed "Trojan horse.'
But as a result of the undercover agent's report, the official said, the raid was moved up 20 minutes earlier than originally planned.
"We decided to hurry up and go in. After he got that phone call, we didn't want to give him any time to think about it,' the agent said. "You get burned on raids. It happens. And if you think you've been burned, you think he'd be destroying evidence or trying to flee before you get there. In Koresh's case, we thought he'd be praying. We pushed it ahead for safety's sake,' the official said.
Instead of praying or normal activity, however, the 80 agents assigned to take the compound met with withering gunfire when they drove up in horse trailers and began their assault to the code word "show time.'
Also Thursday, Texas rangers investigating the deaths and the tipoff alerting Mr. Koresh to the raid met with ATF agents in Dallas to assure agents that their ongoing investigation will not cover up any wrongdoing by the agency, several ATF officials said.
The state investigators had a similar meeting for ATF agents from the Houston division who participated in the raid.
Staff writers Lee Hancock and Diane Jennings contributed to this report.
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