USA: MONTANA: STAND OFF BETWEEN FBI & FREEMEN CONTINUES скачать в хорошем качестве

USA: MONTANA: STAND OFF BETWEEN FBI & FREEMEN CONTINUES

(5 Apr 1996) English/Nat A standoff between the F-B-I and Montana's so-called Freemen has entered it's twelfth day, with still no sign of a breakthrough. Hopes were raised for a peaceful end to the dispute when the Freemen agreed to roadside talks with mediators. But the siege continues. Tension has given way to routine as the freemen continue to defy the law and the F-B-I hold back from using force. No further contact has been made by the group since roadside negotiations Thursday which raised hopes the standoff would end peacefully. At least one negotiator who met with the Freemen was a federal agent...the talks went on for an-hour-and-a-half. Fearful of a repeat of the Waco siege in which 72 people were killed, the F-B-I is keeping its distance. The closest federal agents will venture is by reconnaissance plane a few hundred feet overhead. Armed members of the outlaw group of families, alleged to be tax evaders and fraudsters are staying vigilant. Holed up inside the Garfield County Farm house are at least 22 fugitives including wives and children who've been keeping police at bay for twelve days now. Neighbours say the group has stockpiled weapons and enough food and supplies to last months. Some of the Freemen face federal charges of writing millions of dollars in bogus checks and money orders, and threatening to kidnap and murder the judge involved in the foreclosure of their farm headquarters. One enterprising journalist waving a peace flag attempted to speak to them Friday, despite warnings from the F-B-I he might be taken hostage. Freemen eyed his approach carefully. But despite claiming to be sympathetic to their plight, his request for an interview was turned down. Texas journalist Dan Reavis has been a harsh critic of the F-B-I. He's written a book on Waco, and has testified against the F-B-I handling of the Waco siege at congressional hearings. SOUNDBITE: "I felt like the news accounts that I've read of who these people are don't explain who they are, and I looked for literature of their's and couldn't find any, so I wanted to find out who they were, that's why I did it." Q. Were you concerned about your safety? A: "I didn't believe they would shoot me." SUPER CAPTION: Dan Reavis, Journalist F-B-I and State police are maintaining road checks on all traffic passing within five miles of the area - regarded by inhabitants as a last reserve of the wild west. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...