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But when Byron Sage called into Mount Carmel just before 6pm to find out what was taking so long, he was met with some devastating news.

Koresh's right-hand man, Steve Schneider, informed Sage that David Koresh had changed his mind.

Steve repeatedly reiterated that Koresh was awaiting further instruction from God and nothing would happen until those instructions arrived.

Embarrassed and bitterly disappointed, Byron Sage had to return to his commanders with the news that no one would be leaving Mount Carmel that night.

The anger the FBI leaders felt about David Koresh's last-minute change of mind was reflected in the crackdown that followed.

The head of the agency's hostage rescue team informed the siege commander, quote, it's time to teach him a lesson.

There was debate amongst the various FBI leaders as to how to proceed from here.

They didn't all see the situation eye to eye, with different units arguing for different approaches.

The Hostage Rescue Team, or HRT, was an elite tactical unit trained to take action.

Their instincts were typically to rush in and get a situation under control.

As one HRT member told journalists from PBS's Frontline program, "...a crime's been committed, and I'm talking murder charges.

You've got to do something about it.

You cannot just let those people sit."

The HRT's role would be to surround and secure a scene before going in and using force if necessary.

This style led to them sometimes being called ninjas.

At Mount Carmel, they took up multiple positions from all sides, situating themselves about 300 yards or 275 metres from the building.

In contrast, the FBI's team of negotiators were not working directly at the scene.

Their headquarters were in an aeroplane hangar five and a half miles away and their approach was very different from the HRT.

Focused on building trust with subjects through talk and a steady pace, their goal was to convince the Branch Davidians to come out, rather than rushing in to take them.

They couldn't actually see what was going on inside the compound and would rely on reports shared by the Branch Davidians and their colleagues instead.