FBI says no booby traps found at Oregon refuge

Federal Bureau of Investigation officials said Friday they haven’t found any rigged explosives or booby traps at the national wildlife refuge in or that had been seized by an armed group.

It’s unclear what charges he faces or when authorities believe he was at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge has been occupied by armed protesters opposed to federal land-use policies since early January. The FBI has not confirmed any arrests yet. Meanwhile, despite increasingly hysterical behavior from David Fry, the final occupier, officers waited him out until he emerged peacefully. The situation is ongoing.

As David Fry and Sean Anderson yelled back and forth with the FBI, Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore spoke to them and Sandy Anderson on a phone, telling them she could only help them if they stayed alive. It took another 15 days before the last of the final occupiers walked out, Thursday morning OR time.

From left, Nevada Assemblyman John Moore, Idaho Rep. Heather Scott and Idaho Rep. Judy Boyle speak to reporters outside the Malheur Wildlife Refuge during the standoff near Burns, Ore., Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. Another member who acted as a spokesman for the group was shot dead.

Protesters first arrived at the refuge on January 2, following a peaceful protest in support of ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond.

By night’s end, the occupiers had agreed to turn themselves in Thursday, in part thanks to Fiore’s intervention.

The last occupiers at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge gave up without incident a day after federal agents surrounded the site.

Authorities say Sean Anderson, 47; his wife Sandra Anderson, 48, both of Riggins, Idaho; and Jeff Banta, 46, of Yerington, Nevada, were arrested around 9:40 a.m. Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this article. It now appears federal authorities had drafted criminal charges and merely were waiting for an opportunity to arrest Cliven D. Bundy, 74, who left his Nevada home on Wednesday, intending to go to the refuge.

Some worry that Cliven Bundy and his sons will garner similar sympathy as they remain in jail. No charges were listed.

Authorities say a man who participated in the occupation of an OR wildlife refuge has been arrested in Utah. Police also shot and killed Arizona rancher Robert “LaVoy” Finicum after they said he reached for a gun. One of the occupiers had ridden an ATV outside the perimeter set up by the FBI, prompting federal officials to close in on the cabin. A total of 25 people have been charged with the OR occupation. Bretzing narrated an aerial video showing the traffic stop that led to Finicum’s death amid claims the rancher did nothing to provoke officers.

“The grainy footage with no audio – it looks like an ambush of tactical guys”.

Tom Haynie, a 58-year-old Las Vegas resident who’s also passionate about solar energy, medical marijuana and water in the West, subscribes to a common belief in the movement.

Fry, in an extraordinary exchange live-streamed online and at one point followed by 30,000 people, lashed out at the government, saying that unless his grievances are addressed he would not leave the refuge. On Wednesday, FBI agents moved to within 50 yards (45 meters) of the occupiers’ position in the compound.