The Federal Bureau of Investigation has continued negotiating with four armed occupants at a remote federal wildlife refuge in Oregon on Saturday. Meanwhile, holdouts in a video posted online expressed their mistrust of the government and reluctance to leave the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
One of the four refugees who stayed at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge said in the recently released footage that he wants assurance of not getting arrested by the FBI if he leaves the place. Others refugees with him also have the same sentiments.
According toReuters, the strong tension in the standoff which has been felt for four days now was triggered after the 54-year-old spokesman of the group, Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, was killed by police. The unfortunate event took place during the arrests of occupation head Ammon Bundy and numerous additional protesters as they voyaged on a highway.
Based on the report of News Max, FBI spokeperson Beth Anne Steel said that "Negotiations are still ongoing". However, she rejected the requests of the media to give full details on the said videotape.
Bundy had previously released messages through his attorney recommending those people in the standoff to stand down. He added that their group will not stop the fight, and will continue this issue at any justice court.
Nonetheless, the people at the refuge in the video that was streamed live on Youtube, said they did not want to depart the position which is thirty miles (48 kilometers) from the diminutive ranching district of Burns in the state's rural southeast. They also expressed "mistrust" of the U.S. government. VOA News report.
"I don't believe that they have any authority over me because they're illegal and I can't bow down to that," said one person in the footage. But he later added that he did not want to face arrest and the possibility of a felony, which could prevent him from owning a gun.
Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward said that the protesters went too far in their armed occupation.
