Thursday, February 11, 2016

Remaining occupiers at Oregon refuge surrender

The armed standoff at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in rural Harney County, Oregon came to a peaceful end today, Les Zaitz reports for The Oregonian: Cincinnati-area resident "David Fry was the last to surrender, finally emerging after an extended phone dialogue with supporters who tried for over an hour after the others left to get him to walk out. . . . The holdouts all face arrest on a federal charge of conspiracy for their roles in the armed occupation."

"FBI agents in armored vehicles had moved in Wednesday night on the four still at the refuge, hemming them into their camp and insisting they put down their guns and surrender," Zaitz reports. "Also Wednesday night, the FBI arrested Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy at Portland International Airport. He faces federal charges related to the 2014 standoff at his ranch."

Zaitz writes, "The surreal scene played out over social media . . . through an open phone line being streamed to YouTube. At one point, an estimated 60,000 people listened as the occupiers displayed anger and panic, prayed with those on the phone and yelled at the FBI agents surrounding them. They're the remainders of a group of anti-government militants who took over the wildlife refuge headquarters Jan. 2. The four have been on their own since Jan. 28—two days after the occupation leaders were arrested on a highway north of Burns and protest spokesman Robert 'LaVoy' Finicum was shot and killed."

No comments: