Koresh Says He Is Writing, Will Surrender Later

Armed cult leader David Koresh, who has broken past promises to end his 46-day standoff with authorities, has pledged to surrender after writing a religious manuscript, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Attorney Dick DeGuerin talked with Koresh in an hourlong phone call. He said the cult leader was writing about the seven seals from the Bible’s book of Revelation, signs that are said to precede the end of the world.

“David has been working day and night, composing a manuscript that will be delivered to me, upon which he will then come out,” DeGuerin said.

The lawyer said an aide to Koresh read him a letter that the cult leader was sending to DeGuerin. It said: “We are standing on the threshold of great events. The seven seals in written form are the most sacred information ever.”

DeGuerin said Koresh wants his manuscript to be studied by two religious scholars before he surrenders. DeGuerin said he did not know when the manuscript would be finished.

Koresh and his heavily armed followers have kept hundreds of law enforcement officers at bay since a Feb. 28 shootout with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents who were trying to serve search and arrest warrants.

Ninety-six people remain inside the compound, including 17 children.

FBI spokesman Richard Swensen said Wednesday that authorities who have surrounded the compound have the firepower “to get this resolved almost immediately,” but they do not want to endanger the children.