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nti-Government Protesters Occupy National Wildlife Refuge In Oregon

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A Look Back at the Oregon Standoff

Occupiers seized the wildlife refuge on Jan. 2 in the wake of a protest against the imprisonment of two ranchers convicted of arson.

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Sgt. Tom Hutchison stands in front of an Oregon State Police roadblock on Highway 395 between John Day and Burns, Oregon, on Jan. 26, 2016. Oregon occupation protest leaders Ammon and Ryan Bundy were arrested Tuesday in a highway traffic stop that ended in gunfire and left an anti-government rancher dead. Five others were also detained.

— Dave Killen / The Oregonian via AP
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Ammon Bundy sits at a desk at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon on Jan. 22. The decision to carry out the arrests of Bunday and others was set into motion when the defiant leaders left the refuge Tuesday to attend a community meeting in the town of John Day. Arresting the leaders away from the refuge was meant to minimize the potential for violence

— Keith Ridler / AP
nti-Government Protesters Occupy National Wildlife Refuge In Oregon

Duane Ehmer carries an American flag as he rides his horse, Hellboy, at the occupied Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Jan. 15.

The group had seized the refuge on Jan. 2 in the wake of a protest in the nearby town of Burns against the imprisonment of two ranchers convicted of setting fires on government land. The occupation is also tied to a long-running dispute over how public land is used in the West.

— Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Image: US-MILITIA-GOVERNMENT-BUILDING-TAKEOVER-UNREST-PROTEST

Corey Lequieu, right, and Geoff Stank, both with AR15 rifles, ride a four-wheeler on Jan. 15 at the wildlife refuge.

— ROB KERR / AFP - Getty Images
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The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is visible from the top of an old fire lookout on Jan. 15.

— Keith Ridler / AP
Image: Anti-Government Protestors Occupy National Wildlife Refuge In Oregon

Lavoy Finicum takes cameras from a box located on an electric pole that they say were placed there by the F.B.I. to spy on citizens as he and others occupy the refuge on Jan. 15.

— Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Image: US-MILITIA-GOVERNMENT-BUILDING-TAKEOVER-UNREST-PROTEST

Ryan Bundy shows a Canon lens his group removed from a power pole remote camera location near the refuge headquarters on Jan. 15. Ryan Bundy was one of those arrested on Jan. 26 in a highway traffic stop.

— ROB KERR / AFP - Getty Images
Image: Anti-Government Protestors Occupy National Wildlife Refuge In Oregon

LaVoy Finicum, a rancher from Arizona, speaks to the media at the refuge on Jan. 15. Finicum, who died during the arrests of his fellow Oregon occupiers on Jan. 26, had vowed never to be taken alive by authorities. Finicum, one of the protesters' de facto spokesmen, died after shots were fired when police stopped the group on Highway 395 as they headed to a public meeting. Finicum was a Mormon rancher with 11 children, 19 grandchildren and a wife of 23 years.

— Joe Raedle / Getty Images
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A man dressed as a Continental Army officer walks through the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Jan. 10.

— Rick Bowmer / AP
Image: Occupier Ritzheimer help supporters Joe and Amanda Rigney unload firewood at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns

Occupier Jon Ritzheimer help supporters Joe Rigney, left, and his wife Amanda Rigney unload firewood at the refuge on Jan. 10.

— JIM URQUHART / Reuters
Image: A member of the Pacific Patriots Network looks on while a meeting takes place at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon

A member of the Pacific Patriots Network, which was attempting to resolve the occupation, looks on while helping to set up a temporary security perimeter as a meeting takes place at the refuge on Jan. 9.

— JIM URQUHART / Reuters
Image: Thomas attends a Harney County Committee of Safety town hall meeting

Bison rancher Dave Thomas attends a Harney County Committee of Safety town hall meeting to discuss the occupation at the refuge on Jan. 8.

— JIM URQUHART / Reuters
Image: Cattle in the fog on a ranch near Burns as the occupation continues at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon

Cattle are shrouded in the fog on a ranch near Burns as the occupation continues at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Jan, 8. The takeover of refuge was the latest protest over federal management of public land in the West, long seen by conservatives in the region as an intrusion on individual rights.

— JIM URQUHART / Reuters
Image: Ammon Bundy

Ammon Bundy, center, one of the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, arrives for a news conference with supporters at the refuge on Jan. 8. LaVoy Finicum, who died during the arrests of his fellow Oregon occupiers on Jan. 26, carries his granddaughter on his shoulders to the left of Bundy.

— Rick Bowmer / AP
Image: Anti-Government Protestors Occupy National Wildlife Refuge In Oregon

An occupier splits wood at a campfire outside the refuge on Jan. 7.

— Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Image: Anti-Government Protestors Occupy National Wildlife Refuge In Oregon

Harney County Sheriff David Ward speaks at a community meeting at the Harney County fairground on Jan. 6 in Burns, Oregon. Hundreds of county residents attended the meeting to express frustrations with and support for the occupiers at the refuge.

— Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Image: Anti-Government Protestors Occupy National Wildlife Refuge In Oregon

A sign referring to anti-government leaders Ammon and Ryan Bundy is posted in front of a home on Jan. 6, in Burns, Oregon.

— Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Image: Anti-Government Protestors Occupy National Wildlife Refuge In Oregon

Ammon Bundy talks with supporters in front of the refuge headquarters on Jan. 6.

— Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Image: Anti-Government Protestors Occupy National Wildlife Refuge In Oregon

Members of the Burns Paiute Tribe look on during a press conference on Jan. 6 in Burns, Oregon. A leader of the Oregon Indian tribe whose ancestral property is being occupied by the armed group opposed to federal land policy said Wednesday that the group is not welcome and needs to leave.

— Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
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A man stands guard in a watch tower at sunrise on Jan. 6. at the refuge in eastern Oregon's high desert country.

— Rick Bowmer / AP
Image: A bumper sticker on a private truck is seen in front of a residential building at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon

"Love My Country... Fear My Government" proclaims a bumper sticker on a private truck at the refuge on Jan. 5.

— JIM URQUHART / Reuters
Image: Anti-Government Protestors Occupy National Wildlife Refuge In Oregon

Ammon Bundy carries a copy of the U.S. constitution in his pocket as he speaks to members of the media at the refuge on Jan. 5.

— Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Image: US-UNREST-MILITIA-PROTEST

A member of the anti-government occupiers walks down a road Jan. 4 at the refuge. The loose-knit band of farmers, ranchers and survivalists said they would not rule out violence if authorities stormed the site, although federal officials said they hope to avoid bloodshed.

— ROB KERR / AFP - Getty Images
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