Federal agents locked in a standoff with a doomsday cult for a 12th day Thursday carried out raids on opposite sides of the country in an investigation into how David Koresh and his disciples armed themselves.
In addition, a member of the Branch Davidians was arrested on attempted murder charges for his alleged role in a shootout with federal agents Feb. 28.The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms gathered evidence in La Verne, Calif., and Richland, S.C., of arms transactions involving the cult.
"We're looking into many different sources of arms for Mr. Koresh," said Dan Conroy, ATF deputy associate director.
Federal agents have said Koresh and his followers have a huge cache of weapons, including semiautomatic and automatic guns.
The search of a house owned by the cultists in California yielded audio and video tapes and other records "that reflect evidence of violence by David Koresh and others" in the cult, Conroy said. He would not give details.
Conroy did not elaborate on the search of Shooters Equipment Co. in South Carolina. No phone listing for such a company could be found.
The cultists have held an army of federal officers at bay outside their 77-acre compound since Feb. 28, when a weapons raid erupted in gun battles that left four ATF agents and an unknown number of Branch Davidians dead.
Woodrow Kendrick, a 62-year-old described in 1988 court documents as a member of the cult's governing body, was charged with attempted murder of a federal agent, Conroy said.
Kendrick, who didn't live on the compound, was arrested in Waco without incident, and two semiautomatic pistols were taken, Conroy said. Conroy offered no other details on the arrest or Kendrick's whereabouts.
For the second day Wednesday, the cultists displayed a banner calling for help - apparently in response to suggestions from a KGBS-AM talk show host. The compound's telephone contact with anyone but law officers has been cut off.