David Koresh was a spiritual leader who saw himself as the final prophet in a world that was coming to an end. Though Koresh and his followers were largely peaceful, they were amassing weapons as a way to defend themselves when the apocalypse came. Numbering about 100, the Branch Davidians lived a quiet existence in a compound known as Mount Carmel, located just outside of Waco, Texas.
In 1993, the federal government obtained a warrant to raid their headquarters on the grounds that they possessed illegal weapons.
