Latest summary
- The 41-day armed occupation at the Malheur national wildlife refuge ended this morning when the final four protesters surrendered after a dramatic standoff with FBI agents.
- Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy was arrested in Portland and has been charged with six federal crimes stemming from his confrontation with the federal government in 2014.
- Nine more Oregon militia members were charged today, meaning 25 people total are now accused in a federal conspiracy case. Two of them were still at large as of this afternoon.
- Officials are now investigating the “crime scene” at the wildlife sanctuary and plan to begin efforts to “repair damages” caused by the occupation.
Harney County judge Steve Grasty, who repeatedly urged the militia to go home throughout the occupation, is still hoping to find a way to force the arrested protesters to cover the costs of the standoff.
In a phone interview Thursday afternoon, Grasty said that he calculated that the first month of the standoff, which began 2 January, cost Harney County roughly $236,300 – largely for law enforcement wage costs and expenses for various materials. Additionally, the town of Burns in January spent around $30,000, and the neighboring town of Hines spent nearly $25,000, he estimated.
Local schools also had to shut down for a week at the start of the occupation, which created further government costs, he said.
Grasty said it would take some time to calculate total costs over the 41 days of the standoff and that he is still researching legal mechanisms available to compel the protesters to pay.
For now, he said, he was happy the occupation was finally over. “I’ve been getting so many texts and emails. Everybody is saying how relieved they are,” he said. “It’s time to move on.”
Cliven Bundy is suffering from blood pressure that is “quite high, dangerously so”, his public defender Ruben Iñiguez testified today in federal court in Portland.
Iñiguez said Bundy had prescription blood pressure medicine in a carry-on bag he had with him when he was arrested at the airport in Portland. Iñiguez asked the court to locate and return the medications to Bundy.
But judge Janice Stewart said the normal protocol was for the defendant to be checked out by a physician in prison and obtain any necessary medication through the doctor. Iñiguez countered that the medicines in the bag would speed up the prescription-writing process, but Stewart said she would stick with the protocol.
Bundy is facing numerous federal charges for his 2014 standoff with the government.
New arrests across six states
Federal prosecutors have continued to make arrests associated with the militia standoff across the west today. In addition to the five charges the Guardian reported on earlier this afternoon, the US attorney’s office for the district of Oregon has announced that they have charged four more people for their roles in the occupation.
Of the nine individuals who have newly been charged today, police have arrested seven of them – across six states. The justice department is not naming the two individuals who have not yet been apprehended.
The two new protesters added to the federal conspiracy case are Wesley Kjar, a 32-year-old from Utah and Eric Lee Flores, 22, of Tuallip, Washington. The other arrests announced earlier are: Blaine Cooper, 36, of Humboldt, Arizona; Corey Lequieu, 44, of Fallon, Nevada; Neil Wampler, 68, of Los Osos, California; Jason Charles Blomgren, 41, of Murphy, North Carolina and Darryl William Thorn, 31, of Marysville, Washington.
The men are scheduled to make initial appearances today and tomorrow in federal courts in six different states. Like the 16 others previously indicted, they all face one felony county of conspiracy to impede officers of the US.
Leaders of the local Native American tribe – whose ancestors originally occupied the refuge land – expressed renewed fears this afternoon about potential damage to sacred artifacts stored at the wildlife sanctuary.
“Our work is just starting,” Paiute tribal councilman Cecil Dick said when asked if he was relieved that the standoff was over. “It will be a while before we get back to where we were before.”
Dick noted that before the occupation began, there were existing strains between the tribe and government officials over the artifacts’ vulnerability on public lands. “It doesn’t help to bring it all up again,” he said, with a sigh.
Weeks earlier, militia leaders published a video of several occupiers rifling through artifacts stored at the refuge headquarters.
FBI special agent Greg Bretzing said in a statement today:
In particular, we know that the people of the Burns Paiute Tribe have specific concerns about the potential desecration of their ancestral lands and artifacts dating back thousands of years. As we complete the necessary safety checks and process the crime scene, we will work with the tribal members to ensure that our work remains sensitive to their historical and cultural concerns.
Cliven Bundy appears in court
In Portland this afternoon, Cliven Bundy shuffled into the courtroom looking tired, wearing a light blue prison jumpsuit and sandals – with his ankles chained together. For about 30 minutes he sat with his attorney, from the public defenders’ office, talking over the 32-page indictment, while the courtroom looked on quietly and judge Janice Stewart waited in her chambers.
After the judge arrived at around 2pm, the hearing lasted only ten minutes, during which dates were set for a detention hearing (next Tuesday at 1.30pm) and a preliminary hearing (Friday at 1.30pm).
The judge also strongly urged the outspoken Bundy not to talk about the case with anyone aside from his attorney. Asked whether he understood, Bundy mumbled, “yes.”
It was the only word he said before the court in the first day of hearings.
The judge also said the court would need to determine whether he had the finances to pay for his own attorney or be allowed to continue with a court-appointed one.
For details on the charges and history of the standoff, read Guardian reporter Julia Carrie Wong’s piece on the criminal complaint.
Updated
Bretzing, FBI special agent, acknowledged the unique nature of this armed standoff unfolding on live YouTube streams over the last day.
“We’ve discussed this quite frequently,” he said. “Law enforcement is continually changing as is the social media environment, technology, and yes, we’ve had instances like this in the past and we’ll likely have many more in the future.”
He said the FBI would continue to “revise our techniques” in response to changes in social media trends.
Bretzing said he was looking forward to seeing the local community heal: “Over the course of the last month, the people of Harney County have lived through an experience that is both emotionally exhausting and physically trying,” he said. “We have seen the confusion, concern and trouble that the occupiers’ actions have caused for this community.”
Harney County sheriff Dave Ward is offering a very emotional speech now. “I’m proud of this community. I’m proud of my friends and neighbors. I’m proud of the way you stood up to this stuff,” he said. “It’s torn our community apart. I see it tearing our country apart. But right now we have the opportunity as people in this great nation … to come out and work through our differences and start getting things back together.”
Ward said: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” He added a plea to the community toward the end of his remarks: “Get off of Facebook and talk to each other in person.”
Greg Bretzing, FBI special agent in charge in Oregon, is outlining federal officials’ plans moving forward at a press conference in Burns now.
He said that the Malheur national wildlife refuge will remain closed for weeks and that law enforcement plans to search the “crime scene” to ensure that no other protesters remain in the federal buildings. FBI special agent bomb technicians will also analyze the scene to be sure there are no explosives.
The FBI further has an “art crime team” that will work to investigate any damage to artifacts of the Burns Paiute tribe, which is the local Native American tribe. “These agents are specially-trained in cultural property investigations,” he said.
My colleague Sam Levin’s latest piece details the entire extraordinary end. Levin has been one of the main reporters closely following the occupation at the Malheur refuge.
The 41-day occupation of the federal complex in rural Harney County built to an intense crescendo when the last remaining protester, David Fry, a 27-year-old from Ohio, was persuaded to abandon talk of violence and suicide to emerge from the refuge and hand himself over amid shouts of “hallelujah”.
A continual YouTube live-stream of phone calls with the remaining occupants provided an unprecedented window into the occupiers’ deliberations, amid fraught and sometimes panicked discussions over the final 18 hours of the standoff.
From the start, the heavily armed militia said the occupation could last for “several years”, with some saying they were willing to die for the cause.
Updated
Five more militiamen charged
Federal prosecutors have filed conspiracy charges against five additional men involved in the standoff, according to court filings that were just unsealed.
The men named in a new indictment are Blaine Cooper, Corey Lequieu, Neil Wampler, Jason Charles Blomgren and Darryl William Thorn.
They are all facing the same charge that prosecutors have filed against the 16 others arrested activists, which is “conspiracy to impede officers of the US” by “force, intimidation and threats”. If convicted, they could face up to six years in prison.
Cooper was a high-profile, vocal militia leader from Arizona, who disappeared from public view when the FBI began making arrests two weeks ago. His wife Melissa was one of the main cooks for the occupiers.
Lequieu, from Fallon, Nevada, was also a regular presence at the refuge. He recently told the Guardian that he left the occupation during the chaotic period after police killed militia spokesman LaVoy Finicum.
Wampler also spoke to the Guardian at the very start of the occupation, noting that he participated in Cliven Bundy’s 2014 standoff. The Oregonian later reported that Wampler, a retired California woodworker, had previously been convicted of second-degree murder.
Updated
The line of mostly reporters – and the anticipation – is building outside the courtroom where Cliven Bundy will appear in less than 20 minutes. The courtroom appears to be a larger one than the cramped room Bundy’s sons and their followers appeared in a couple weeks ago after being arrested. Federal Protective Services officers and a rather excited, young German Shepherd are checking the courtroom and hanging around the lobby. For now, all it’s quiet on the street outside the courthouse.
Conrad Wilson, a reporter at Oregon Public Broadcasting, who was among the first on the scenes this morning, tells us that the four arrested occupiers are being held at Burns Municipal Airport, the location of the FBI’s makeshift headquarters in the area.
Earlier Conrad saw a long convoy of SUVs and Oregon State Troopers emerge from the refuge and drive through a checkpoint.
Police have blocked roads back to Burns after convoy presumably carrying 4 remaining refuge militants pic.twitter.com/LYZOwNbSOk
— Conrad Wilson (@conradjwilson) February 11, 2016
The FBI has called a press conference for 2pm Pacific time (that’s in about two hours). Around the same time Cliven Bundy, the 69-year-old spiritual leader of the ultra-conservative federal lands movement, will appear in court 300 miles north, in Portland.
We’ll bring you all the updates from both.
After 41 days, the armed occupation of a remote federal wildlife refuge is over. But a new, more prolonged battle will now commence in the courts. Bundy, his two sons (Ammon and Ryan), and the four final holdouts who surrendered today are among the 16 people associated with the occupation now in custody and awaiting trial. They intend to use their idiosyncratic reading of the US Constitution to challenge the government’s case.
If they lose, they face significant jail time. As Sam Levin has written, FBI and federal prosecutors have deliberately targeted the occupation’s leaders with a broad charge sheet that encompasses numerous offenses.
FBI officials and federal prosecutors have released a statement about the end of the standoff, noting that no one was injured and no shots were fired during the final arrests on the 41st day of the occupation. The four holdouts will face an arraignment in federal court on Friday.
A total of 16 people associated with the occupation are facing federal conspiracy charges.
Billy Williams, US attorney for the district of Oregon, said in a statement:
The occupation of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge has been a long and traumatic episode for the citizens of Harney County and the members of the Burns Paiute tribe. It is a time for healing, reconciliation amongst neighbors and friends, and allowing for life to get back to normal. I want to thank our neighbors in eastern Oregon for their patience, resolve, and their kind and welcoming spirit to the many members of federal, county, state, local, and tribal law enforcement who have worked tirelessly to bring this illegal occupation to a conclusion. The fine work of so many dedicated public servants in a difficult endeavor cannot be understated. I am very proud of them all.
The Guardian has received a copy of the 32-page federal complaint against Cliven Bundy, the father of the leaders of the standoff at the Malheur national wildlife refuge. He has been charged with six federal crimes stemming from his own standoff with the government in 2014.
A criminal complaint filed with the US district court of Nevada charges the Bundy patriarch with the following crimes: conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States; assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon; use and carry of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence; interference with commerce by extortion; obstruction of the administration of justice, and aiding and abetting.
He will appear in court at 1.30pm in Portland.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service, which operates the Malheur national wildlife refuge, has released a statement expressing relief that the standoff is over and discussing next steps of investigating the “crime scene”.
Spokesman Jason Holm said:
We are relieved that the illegal occupation of Malheur NWR is over. While we are now able to look forward to a new beginning, there is still much that needs to be done so that the community and the larger public can be welcomed back to their refuge. We will be available, at the request of the FBI, to help in the long and painstaking job of processing the crime scene, and will be working to assess and repair damages caused by the occupation. Above all, we will begin to revitalize our deep connections in the local community and resume the dialog that has made Malheur a model of collaborative conservation.
Militia occupation over
- The Oregon militia standoff appears to have come to an end with the final four occupiers surrendering to FBI officials surrounding the Malheur national wildlife refuge.
- Three occupiers – Jeff Banta, 46, of Elko, Nevada and Sean Anderson, 47, and his wife Sandy, 48, of Riggins, Idaho – surrendered one by one this morning with their hands up.
- The final holdout, 27-year-old David Fry from Ohio, refused to surrender for an incredibly tense hour. Mediators on a live-streamed phone call attempted to calm him down, but Fry repeatedly said he wanted officials to address a wide range of grievances and several times mentioned suicide. Just after 11am, however, he agreed to come out, and it appeared that officers reached him without incident.
- At around the same time, officials revealed that Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher who led a 2014 standoff, is facing charges of conspiracy and assault for his fight with the federal government. He was arrested in Portland Wednesday night and is currently in jail awaiting an afternoon hearing.
Updated
David Fry surrendering
David Fry, the final occupier at the Malheur national wildlife refuge, appears to be standing down. “I’m working towards them right now,” David Fry just stated on the call.
“Keep walking my friend,” someone said on the other end. “Hold your hands up.”
KrisAnne Hall broke into tears and laughter once it appeared over. “I need a hot tub and a massage,” she joked.
Nearly three hours after the occupiers were originally scheduled to surrender, David Fry has shown no sign of standing down. The tone of the conversation, however, has deescalated in tone, but Fry remains insistent that he will not leave until his various demands are met.
“You guys should just leave me alone,” Fry said at one point. In the last half hour or so, he has discussed marijuana, UFOs, religion, taxes, politics and other topics.
David Fry just said on the live feed that he is now talking to an FBI negotiator.
Reportedly speaking directly to the FBI, he said: “I still don’t feel safe coming out. You guys are telling me I’m safe to get to you guys. But I don’t want to be put behind bars. I don’t want to take that risk. Man wasn’t made to be put behind bars for standing up for his own rights.”
Earlier, Fry grew frustrated with the mediators on the phone, saying: “I don’t care about the movement anymore. I’m doing this for me.”
At the refuge, David Fry is clearly in a very emotional state. In a disturbing development, in the last few minutes he has begun talking about suicide. The other negotiators are trying desperately to calm him down, and encouraging him to step outside.
In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 08457 90 90 90. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. Hotlines in other countries can be found here.
Updated
Cliven Bundy charged with assault, conspiracy
Some breaking news from outside of the refuge: The Associated Press is reporting that Cliven Bundy has been charged with assault and conspiracy for his 2014 standoff with the federal government at his Nevada ranch.
The 69-year-old rancher has for years refused to pay grazing fees to the government to have his cattle use public lands. The dispute reached a head when federal officials attempted to seize his cattle and armed anti-government protesters came to his aid.
He still owes the government more than $1m.
Cliven Bundy was arrested late Wednesday night in Portland. Earlier in the evening, he told the Guardian he was on his way to Oregon to support the occupiers. He is currently in jail in Portland.
David Fry is telling the more than 25,000 listeners on the live YouTube stream that he fears going to prison.
“They need to address my grievances. They need to promise me absolute protection,” Fry said. “Even if I go to prison, they should promise me absolute protection.”
He also said he worried he would be attacked by other prisoners.
Gavin Seim, the live-streamer, told him not to be afraid: “Don’t be intimidated by a jail or prison cell.” He said the people in jail are like him – others who have been “abused by the government”.
Fry continued: “I can’t come out guys. I can’t do it.”
David Fry refuses to surrender
David Fry, the final occupier at the refuge, is now refusing to surrender.
“Until my demands are met, I can’t come out ... I’m taking a stand. A stand means you’re willing to risk your life,” he said.
Asked what his demands are, he responded: “I’m trying to legitimately have a job ... I have a legit job. I’m paying taxes, but it’s going to abortion.”
“How long do you have to go on without your grievances being addressed?” Fry continued. “I should be able to opt out of certain taxes,” he later added.
At one point, he shouted: “I declare war against the federal government as a citizen of the constitution.”
Gavin Seim and activist Krisanne Hall, who is also on the call, are trying to calm him down.
David Fry said on the live-stream that Jeff Banta, one of the four holdouts, is now leaving the occupation and surrendering.
Fry, however, is now shouting demands at the FBI: “Unless my grievances are heard, I will not come out!”
Gavin Seim, the live-streamer, tried to keep him calm: “Go and walk out there like the others ... We’ve got the world watching.”
“They haven’t even promised anything, really. I didn’t agree to any of this, really. I’m kind of worried that they are just going to ignore us,” Fry said.
Seim responded: “It’s in God’s hands.”
Occupiers walking out
Sean Anderson has just said that FBI officials have told them to exit the refuge one at a time. Michele Fiore is no longer on the live-feed.
“You coming out, Sean?” Gavin Seim asked
“Coming out!” Sean shouted on the video. “They’re walking toward us.”
“It looks like they’ve got guns pointed at us,” David Fry said, adding that Jeff Banta is next to him.
“They are basically patting her down and I think they are going to apprehend her there,” Fry said of Sandy Anderson. “Now, Sean is standing there holding the American flag in his hand.”
Mike Arnold, Ammon Bundy’s lawyer, has arrived to the checkpoint near the refuge headquarters where reporters are camped out. Arnold, who traveled from Harney County to Portland with assemblywoman Michele Fiore on Wednesday night, addressed reporters now, saying he was still hoping for a peaceful resolution.
He confirmed that Fiore is on her way.
Arnold told the Guardian earlier today: “We’re keeping our fingers crossed for a peaceful resolution, and I’m hopeful that that’s gonna happen.”
Ammon Bundy's attorney Mike Arnold reiterated points, Cliven's arrest shows those at the refuge it can be peaceful pic.twitter.com/bv1vjgUXBK
— Conrad Wilson (@conradjwilson) February 11, 2016
Updated
David Fry, the 27-year-old occupier from Ohio, jumped on the live YouTube video just now. He had previously been silent all morning.
Fry sounded surprisingly upbeat: “It’s pretty cool how you all came along,” Fry said to Gavin Seim, the live-streamer. Asked how he was doing, Fry replied, “Not too bad.”
Fry also began ranting about the federal government, the Obama administration, Muslims and abortion. “People need to start waking up, because they’re kind of putting themselves in a trap ... When will people realize that they need to stand up for their own dignity?”
Sean and Sandy Anderson meanwhile said they were ready to walk out – and they claimed they would be unarmed.
Latest summary
- Nevada assemblywoman Michele Fiore and Franklin Graham, a high-profile reverend, are on their way to the Malheur national wildlife refuge headquarters in rural Harney County with FBI officials. The plan is to escort the occupation holdouts out.
- The four holdouts are: Sandy Anderson, 48, Sean Anderson, 47,
Jeff Banta, 46, and David Fry, 27. - The four were indicted by a federal grand jury last week on conspiracy charges and could face six years in prison.
- Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy was arrested in Portland last night and will appear in court at 1.30pm today.
Updated
The Guardian just spoke by phone with Oregon Public Broadcasting reporter Conrad Wilson, who is at the refuge waiting for the expected surrender and showdown. He said that several dozen reporters are stationed a few miles away from the refuge headquarters where the occupiers are reportedly waiting for the arrival of assemblywoman Michele Fiore.
“Oregon state police has repeatedly asked the media to keep the lane clear and get out of the way,” Wilson said. “Vehicles may be coming through here soon.”
There are a handful of officers and law enforcement vehicles near the media and another more formal blockade or FBI checkpoint closer to the entrance to the wildlife sanctuary. Wilson said it’s very cold and foggy at the scene and hard to see far into the distance.
Michele Fiore is in a vehicle with the FBI and Franklin Graham and she says they are driving up to the refuge.
Fiore just asked the occupiers if they’ve eaten.
“We’re hoping to stop at Denny’s,” responded Sean Anderson, adding, “They need to pay for it because they’re using our tax dollars.”
Odalis Sharp, a Kansas woman who was previously at the refuge, told viewers on the live-stream that militia leader Blaine Cooper has been arrested. The Guardian has not been able to confirm the news yet, but his wife, Melissa Cooper, just wrote on Facebook: “My husband Blaine Cooper was just arrested by the FBI....”
The couple is from Arizona. Melissa Cooper was one of the main cooks at the refuge during the occupation. Blaine Cooper was not included in a recent federal grand jury indictment that named 16 people. Blaine reportedly showed up at the recent funeral of militia leader LaVoy Finicum in Utah.
As of 8.30am local time, nearly 14,000 people were tuning into the live-stream of Gavin Seim, the conservative activist coordinating the phone calls and broadcast.
“We’ve got the world watching,” Seim told the occupiers.
Assemblywoman Michele Fiore added: “Everyone is listening. You guys have a lot of support. It’s not just me.”
At it’s peak last night, the video feed attracted more than 60,000 people.
Assemblywoman Michele Fiore just told the occupiers that they have additional support “on the ground”.
That includes assemblywoman Shelly Shelton, a Republican from Nevada, who recently got attention for her comments comparing slain militia leader LaVoy Finicum to Moses and Jesus.
Fiore also said the occupiers had the support of Nevada assemblyman John Moore. Fiore and Moore are a part of presidential candidate Ted Cruz’s Nevada team. It’s unclear where Moore and Shelton are stationed right now.
Here’s some quick background on Franklin Graham, the reverend arriving to the occupation to reportedly help Fiore with the surrender. Graham is the son of well-known evangelist Billy Graham.
The younger Graham runs the North Carolina-based Billy Graham Evangelistic Association named after his father. The father and son often make headlines for their controversial political statements. “I don’t think we’re going to make it another election cycle if we don’t get God’s voice back in the political arena,” Franklin Graham said at a recent political rally.
On Facebook early this morning, he said he spoke to the occupiers: “Last night I was on the phone with them for several hours, was able to have prayer with them, and they have said they would come out today.”
It appears that Reverend Franklin Graham, another individual who has been in touch with the protesters and offered to help with negotiations, is also at the scene, according to assemblywoman Fiore’s comments just now on the live-stream. “[The FBI] is getting the reverend, and me and the reverend are going to drive together,” she said.
Ten minutes after the scheduled meet-up time, Fiore was trying to broker a phone call between the FBI and the occupiers. Fiore said she was with four other FBI agents.
Sean Anderson said he’s using a phone that the FBI recently dropped off, adding, “They got closer in the night ... They are still surrounding us.”
Husband and wife Sean and Sandy Anderson are on the live-stream with assemblywoman Michele Fiore. “I’m sitting with [the FBI] right now,” Fiore said.
But the occupiers were expressing doubts that the standoff would not resolve peacefully. “We pray the FBI holds their end,” Sandy said. “They’ve betrayed us so much ... We don’t trust a thing they say.”
Fiore said: “Let’s just all stay calm ... I want everybody to keep calm heads.”
Michele Fiore arriving to refuge
Michele Fiore, the assemblywoman who is trying to broker negotiations, is now on another live-stream with activist Gavin Seim on YouTube. Seim is talking to occupier Sean Anderson, who confirms plans to meet Fiore and surrender. He said he and his wife, Sandy, will leave together:
“Myself and Sandy are going to go out holding hands and a flag,” Sean said.
“We’re coming to the checkpoint,” Fiore said.
Cliven Bundy is scheduled to appear in federal court at 1.30pm in Portland, Oregon Public Broadcasting reports. Bailey Logue, Cliven’s 24-year-old daughter, told the Guardian this morning that the family has not yet spoken to Cliven and has no information about his charges. But she said the Bundys were fired up and would not let the arrest prevent them from continuing to fight the government. Logue said:
Anytime anyone speaks out against the federal government, we are taken down, put into jail and detained ... But we’re not backing down, and this is not going to make us any weaker at all. This is only making us stronger.
Mike Arnold, Ammon Bundy’s attorney who drove from Portland last night with assemblywoman Michele Fiore to help with negotiations this morning, has confirmed by phone this morning that he’s still moving forward with plans.
He declined to say where they were or if they were still targeting an 8am meeting:
We’re busy working ... We’re keeping our fingers crossed for a peaceful resolution, and I’m hopeful that that’s gonna happen.
Updated
It’s been 41 days since a peaceful protest in nearby Burns, Oregon developed into an armed standoff at the Malheur wildlife refuge. Demonstrators were protesting the conviction of two local ranchers on arson charges, which had angered the ranchers who also felt the incident was reflective of their broad concerns about having land under federal government control.
Since then, one protester has died and eight others were arrested in the ongoing standoff.
Looking for more background on the protest? Here’s an explainer from the Guardian’s Mark Tran:
A key mediator in last night’s negotiations was Michele Fiore, a Nevada assemblywoman. She is set to greet the occupiers when they surrender at 8am PT.
Calls between her and the militia were broadcast live during the Wednesday night negotiation.
“We cannot afford more bloodshed,” she told the agitated protesters. “I’m willing to negotiate with the FBI for a peaceful resolution.”
But who is Michele Fiore? The Guardian’s Julia Carrie Wong has a report on what we know about the pro-gun affiliate of presidential hopeful Ted Cruz:
Senator Ted Cruz our next President will be joining us at 9am on @720KDWN Don't miss this one pic.twitter.com/svaqDi2uEy
— Michele Fiore (@VoteFiore) August 15, 2015
The FBI’s Portland division released a statement on Wednesday night in response to the federal agency’s decision to move in on the occupation.
Agents moved in after one of the occupiers rode an ATV outside the perimeter put in place by the militia, the FBI said. An agent tried to speak with the driver, who returned to the refugee encampment at “a high rate of speed,” the agency said.
Agents were then stationed at the barricades.
FBI special agent Greg Bretzing said in a statement:
It has never been the FBI’s desire to engage these armed occupiers in any way other than through dialogue, and to that end, the FBI has negotiated with patience and restraint in an effort to resolve the situation peacefully. However, we reached a point where it became necessary to take action in a way that best ensured the safety of those on the refuge, the law enforcement officers who are on scene, and the people of Harney County who live and work in this area.
Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher who led a standoff with the government in 2014, was arrested in Portland on Wednesday night by the FBI. He was booked in a Portland jail at 10:54pm on Wednesday, according to the Multnomah county sheriff’s office.
His two sons, Ammon and Ryan, were arrested late last month in connection with the Oregon standoff following a firefight with law enforcement. The occupation’s spokesman, LaVoy Finicum, was killed in the shooting.
Bundy, 74, is being held on charges related to his Nevada standoff, according to the Bundy Ranch Facebook page.
Bundy’s Nevada showdown with the US Bureau of Land Management in 2014 ended after he was joined by armed supporters. He owes the federal agency $1m in fees and penalties for grazing on federal land.
Updated
The Guardian’s Sam Levin watched the negotiations on YouTube last night and has been covering the standoff from the West coast. His report on the militia’s frantic calls and discussions:
Within minutes, listeners across the country were tuning into the chaotic live-stream, listening to the dramatic events unfold.
Seim’s phone call with the occupiers, broadcast live, provided a dramatic and at times surreal window into the deliberations ongoing at the site, as the militia debated the merits of surrender. At times, they appeared bordering on panic and hysteria, convinced federal agents were about to ambush them.
“The black hawks are here and they’re going to kill us,” said one man at the refuge, after they heard helicopters circling above. “If they fire first, my weapon is in reach and I’m going to take them with me.”
The Andersons, a husband and wife from Riggins, Idaho, discussed whether they should leave the occupation.
“They’re just looking for a reason to kill us,” Sean Anderson declared early on. “Please don’t let us die in vain tonight,” added his wife, Sandy, one of the other four militia members still on the site.
A 41-day-long standoff in Oregon is expected to end on Thursday after a night of frantic negotiations between the remaining armed militia at Malheur national wildlife refuge and the FBI.
Negotiations between the militia members and law enforcement were broadcast live last night on YouTube from the refuge near Burns, Oregon as the FBI closed in on the compound. The militia have occupied the refuge since 2 January, in a dispute over the use of federal land.
Late on Wednesday, the Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy was arrested en route to Burns. His standoff with the federal government in 2014 inspired the Oregon occupation, which his two sons, Ammon and Ryan, have supported. They were arrested in connection to the occupation last month.
After hours of negotiations that had, at one point, an audience of more than 60,000 people, the four remaining militia members at the refuge agreed to stand down. They said they would wait to leave until 8am PT Thursday morning, as part of an agreement that they would be met by television cameras, the reverend Franklin Graham and Nevada politician Michele Fiore, a mediator in Wednesday night’s negotiations.
We’ll provide live updates on the situation as it develops, throughout the day.
Updated
