The FBI brought black armored cars and a rescue helicopter to their staging area near the Freemen ranch on Friday, saying they might be needed to help end the standoff with the armed anti-government fugitives.
A source familiar with the FBI strategy said the highly publicized arrival of the armored vehicles and helicopter was not a sign that authorities plan to move on the Freemen immediately."They're sending a message that `we are prepared,' " said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Nothing is imminent."
The source said the FBI wanted to demonstrate it was serious, as well as "create a little more uncertainty (among the Freemen) about what's going to happen."
"At this time, the FBI plans are to continue to try to work things out and get talks going again," the source said.
The Freemen have been holed up in a remote, 960-acre farm complex 30 miles northwest of the FBI's headquarters in this eastern Montana town since March 25, when FBI agents captured two of their leaders.
"Despite the best efforts of the FBI and third-party intermediaries, the Freemen have terminated all efforts at negotiations," the agency said.
The FBI, which has said almost nothing about the negotiations since the standoff began, faxed a statement about the rescue vehicles to news media around the country, and made sure journalists could see them arrive at the Garfield County Fairgrounds.
The one-page statement said three armored cars were arriving, but newsmen saw only two.