The leader of an armed group that has occupied a national wildlife refuge in Oregon for nearly three weeks says he has begun speaking with federal authorities.
KBOI-2-TV reports, Ammon Bundy spoke on the phone with an FBI negotiator.
Bundy said his group is “not going to escalate” the situation, and he agreed to speak with authorities again Friday.
The FBI says its response to the occupation of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon by an armed group has been careful because authorities want to avoid violence.
In a statement Thursday the agency said the situation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon has caused “tremendous disruption and hardship” for people in the community and our “response has been deliberate and measured as we seek a peaceful resolution.”
