Oregon standoff: Last militant surrenders to the FBI

The last four militants holed up for more than a month in an Oregon wildlife refuge to protest US government land control have surrendered to the FBI.

Members of a self-styled militia group at a wildlife centre

File photo Source: AAP

The final four holdouts in an armed protest at a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon have surrendered, with the last occupier repeatedly threatening suicide before he walked out, ending the 41-day stand-off with the FBI.

David Fry, 27, had remained behind for more than an hour on Thursday and told supporters by phone he had not agreed with the other three to leave.

The phone conversation was broadcast live on an audio feed posted on the internet.

"I'm actually pointing a gun at my head, I'm tired of living," Fry said during the phone call.

He later added, "Until you address my grievances, you're probably going to have to watch me be killed, or kill myself."

Fry finally surrendered and authorities could be heard over the phone line telling him to put his hands up before the call disconnected.

Portland's KGW television later showed a caravan of sport utility vehicles escorted by police driving out of the refuge in remote eastern Oregon.

The FBI said in a statement the final four occupiers had surrendered.

The takeover at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, which began on January 2, was sparked by the return to prison of two Oregon ranchers convicted of setting fires that spread to federal property in the vicinity of the refuge.

The stand-off, originally led by brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy, came to a head after the arrest on Wednesday in Portland of their father, Cliven Bundy, 74.

On Thursday he was charged with conspiracy, assault on a federal officer and obstruction of justice in connection with a separate 2014 standoff on federal land near his Nevada ranch.

Ammon and Ryan Bundy had been arrested in January along with nine other protesters on a snow-covered roadside where a spokesman for the group, Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, was shot dead.

A 12th member of the group surrendered to police in Arizona.

The Malheur occupation had also been a protest against federal control over millions of acres public land in the West.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world