New evidence emerges in Waco investigation
Editor's note: At the date of this publication, Sept. 3, 1999, Beyond the 'Burg was a weekly compilation of stories collected from national and international news sources outside the scope of a campus newspaper. The proper format for the feature, used in the weeks before and after the Sept. 3 issue, is to credit Beyond the 'Burg as "compiled by" the Flat Hat writers responsible for gathering the stories, rather than "by" those writers. We believe this was a simple typographical error which could have been introduced at any point in the production process. As such, we do not believe the fault is with Ben Domenech or Marianna Toma, the writers of this piece. In this instance, any confusion about the sources of these articles was almost certainly not due to any misconduct or negligence by the writers.
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WASHINGTON The FBI has handed over new evidence to the U.S. Marshals Service about the fatal fire that ended the 51-day siege of the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas on April 19, 1993.
Officials representing the Justice Department announced Wednesday Attorney General Janet Reno had decided someone from outside the department and the FBI should lead a new investigation into the actions of the FBI prior to the assault on the compound.
An FBI official also said that on a videotape obtained from the headquarters of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team in Quantico, a team member is heard being granted permission by a superior to fire flammable military tear gas into the compound more than four hours before it burst into flames, killing 76 people inside.
Another videotape shot from a surveillance aircraft on the day of the assault includes radio conversations in which one team member ask a superior agent to approve the use of tear gas catridges that are incendiary. The request apparently came after nonincendiary tear gas cartridges had no effect when they were fired at the roof of an underground shelter that was several dozen yards away from the compound, the official said. The FBI official said that on the tape the superior can be heard "spontaneously" granting permission to do so.
The discovery of this new evidence follows the FBI¹s admission last week that it had used the incendiary military tear gas. Reno said the next day she was "very, very upset" by the new information. Based on what she described as repeated assurances by the FBI, Reno testified before Congress in 1995 that no pyrotechnic devices were used during the assault on the compound.
On Tuesday, officials said that FBI Director Louis J. Freeh suggested that an outsider conduct the investigation because of a public perception that the bureau and the Justice Department were incapable of conducting an impartial probe of their own actions during the Waco siege. The FBI has never before turned over an internal investigation entirely to outsiders.
In addition to investigating the use and effect of the incendiary cartridges, officials said the new investigation will focus on who knew about their use and why this information was not disclosed until last week.
Peace plan struggling on West Bank
ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT - Secretary of State Madeleine Albright landed in Alexandria, Egypt, Thursday afternoon in a last-ditch effort to salvage negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian governments to implement the Wye accords. The two sides remain deadlocked on the issue of Palestinian prisoner releases, casting doubt on whether Albright's mission will succeed.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a key mediator in the peace process, met with Albright Thursday in an effort to bridge the divide. The Wye accords, signed last October, mandates Israeli troop withdrawals and includes a provision concerning the release of Palestinians jailed for so-called security offenses. Its implementation was suspended by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. His successor, Ehud Barak, hopes to restore the trust lost during Netanyahu's term by cooperating with the Palestinians on the Wye accords but is expected to be unwilling to compromise on the issue of prisoner releases.
Argentina mourns plane crash victims
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA - A Boeing 737 jetliner crashed just after taking off from a downtown airport in Buenos Aires Tuesday. An estimated 69 people have been killed and dozens of others injured with only a few escaping safely.
The reason the plane crashed is unknown as of yet.
Rescue teams are still looking for missing people while hospitalizing the ones found.
The airplane belonged to the Lineas Aereas Privadas Argentinas, a major domestic carrier with only a few international flights.
According to the few survivors, after the plane took off it went a few feet in the air and then came back down, sliding into a golf course. Cars were wrecked during the crash, and investigators are trying to decide whether the plane crushed or dragged the cars to the side. The plane stopped along the Rio de la Plata River next to the golf course.
Because the plane burst into flames, the investigation became a lot harder on agents. Some bodies were burned extensively. According to authorities, this crash is the worst aviation disaster at the Buenos Aires downtown airport.
Tropical Storm Dennis lingers on East Coast
CAPE HATTERAS, N.C. - Tropical Storm Dennis lingered off the Cape Hatteras coast as late as Thursday, threatening the beach plans of hundreds of thousands of vacationers, and creating sustained winds of 60 mph and powerful waves.
Meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center believe that Dennis is not yet ready to die and is likely gathering energy from the warm water off the North Carolina coast.
Tropical storm warnings remain from Cape Lookout, N.C., to Cape Charles Light, Va., and meteorologists said beachgoers can expect heavy surfs, pounding waves and strong gusts as far north as Fenwick Island, Del.
Forecasters currently believe Dennis might move southwest over the weekend, but whatever it does, it will probably be moving slowly.
By Marianna Toma and Ben Domenech
Editor's note: At the date of this publication, Sept. 3, 1999, Beyond the 'Burg was a weekly compilation of stories collected from national and international news sources outside the scope of a campus newspaper. The proper format for the feature, used in the weeks before and after the Sept. 3 issue, is to credit Beyond the 'Burg as "compiled by" the Flat Hat writers responsible for gathering the stories, rather than "by" those writers. We believe this was a simple typographical error which could have been introduced at any point in the production process. As such, we do not believe the fault is with Ben Domenech or Marianna Toma, the writers of this piece. In this instance, any confusion about the sources of these articles was almost certainly not due to any misconduct or negligence by the writers.
If you have any information about other articles that contain copied material, please e-mail the editor at flthat@wm.edu.
