FBI surrounds last occupying militiamen at U.S. wildlife refuge

Agents with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) moved in on Wednesday to surround the remaining four armed occupying militiamen at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in the northwestern state of Oregon.

A statement from the FBI said federal agents were triggered by one of the holdouts who rode an all-terrain vehicle in the afternoon outside the barricades established earlier by the group of self-styled militiamen.

The FBI said the driver "returned to the encampment at the refuge at a high rate of speed" when agents tried to approach the vehicle, prompting the law enforcement agency to contain the occupiers by placing agents at the barricades both immediately ahead of and behind the area.

The wildlife refuge in the remote part of eastern Oregon was occupied by the militia group since Jan. 2. However, the group's leader Ammon Bundy and 11 of his followers were arrested late last month outside the federal facility, and another one was shot and killed during a confrontation with the FBI and Oregon state police.

The FBI noted that Wednesday marks day 40 of the occupation of the refuge.

In a related development, Cliven Bundy, father of Ammon Bundy, was arrested late Wednesday in Portland upon his arrival from Las Vegas, Nevada.

Cliven Bundy, a 74-year-old rancher, led a high-profile armed confrontation with federal officials in April 2014 over a dispute about grazing rights on federal land in Nevada.

A week ago, the four remaining holdouts at the refuge, identified as David Fry of Ohio, Jeff Banta of Nevada, Sean Anderson and Sandy Anderson of Idaho, were indicted in a federal court in Portland along with the 12 suspects already in custody on felony conspiracy charges.

While acknowledging that no shots were fired on Wednesday during FBI agents' advance toward the holdouts, Greg Bretzing, special agent in charge of the FBI in Oregon, said it "reached a point where it became necessary to take action in a way that best ensured the safety of those on the refuge."

Armored vehicles were reportedly deployed by the authorities within some 45 meters of the occupiers' position.

"It has never been the FBI's desire to engage these armed occupiers in any way other than through dialogue," Bretzing said, "the FBI has negotiated with patience and restraint in an effort to resolve the situation peacefully."

Late in the night, Sean Anderson, one of the four remaining militiamen within the refuge, said he had talked with the FBI and all of the holdouts would turn themselves in to authorities at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday. Endi