U.S. Government to release 6 political prisoners Original Article 6 Branch Davidians will leave prison 13 years after standoff Angela K. Brown Associated Press Apr. 20, 2006 12:00 AM WACO, Texas - Thirteen years after the Branch Davidians' armed standoff with federal agents ended in an inferno that killed nearly 80 people, six sect members who were sent to prison are about to be released from custody. Most who will be freed over the next two months escaped from the compound near Waco as it burned to the ground on April 19, 1993, 51 days after a shootout that erupted when agents of what then was called the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms tried to arrest religious leader David Koresh for stockpiling guns and explosives. The six men went to federal prison for manslaughter, weapons offenses or both in connection with the shootout, which left four federal agents and six Davidians dead. Once the men are out, they will be on supervised release for three to five years. Among other things, they will be barred from associating with one another. A seventh Davidian is also still behind bars but is not scheduled for release until next year. One of the six, Paul Gordon Fatta, said he remains angry about the government's actions. "They needed their pound of flesh, so they took the survivors and put them on trial. Somebody had to pay," Fatta, 48, said in telephone interview. Koresh and nearly 80 followers, including two dozen children, died in a blaze that survivors say was ignited by tear gas sprayed into the compound buildings from military tanks. Authorities claim the Davidians committed suicide.