Federal agents on Wednesday sealed off an Oregon wildlife refuge occupied by an armed group, hours after authorities arrested several members of that group and killed one of the most prominent occupiers.
The frenzy of activity marked a sudden escalation in the ongoing standoff that has simmered for more than three weeks, ever since a small group of men and women took control of a remote facility in southeastern Oregon.
Local and federal law enforcement officials had called for the occupation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to end peacefully, and the FBI said in a statement its response was “deliberate and measured.”