McVeigh Letter Blames FBI for Waco Siege Deaths

In a letter to an Oklahoma City newspaper made public Tuesday, Timothy J. McVeigh blames the FBI for the 1993 fire that killed 81 people at the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas.

“The public never saw the Davidians’ home video of their cute babies, adorable children, loving mothers or protective fathers,” McVeigh wrote in a letter excerpted for Wednesday’s weekly Oklahoma Gazette.

“Nor did they see pictures of the charred remains of children’s bodies. Therefore, they didn’t care when these families died a slow, torturous death as they were gassed and burned alive at the hands of the FBI.”

Authorities claim that McVeigh bombed the federal building in Oklahoma City to retaliate for Waco on the two-year anniversary of the siege.

Cult leader David Koresh and 80 of his followers died by fire or gunshots six hours after the FBI started filling the compound with tear gas during a raid that ended a 51-day standoff. Davidians and their attorneys blame the government for starting the fire. FBI officials said the blaze was started by sect members.

McVeigh’s attorney, Stephen Jones, said the letter was authentic. It was written to Gazette reporter Phil Bacharach in November, several months after he interviewed McVeigh in prison.

McVeigh, 28, is charged with murder and conspiracy in the April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people and injured at least 500 more. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

Jury selection in the case continued Tuesday, with a prospective juror dismissed after telling the judge the government spent too much money protecting McVeigh’s right to a fair trial.