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| Pennsylvania 'survivalist' suspect Erin Frein captured after weeks on run | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty for a survivalist accused of killing a Pennsylvania state trooper in an ambush. | Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty for a survivalist accused of killing a Pennsylvania state trooper in an ambush. |
| Eric Frein, 31, was captured on Thursday by US marshals in an abandoned plane hangar, ending a lengthy and tense manhunt. It followed seven weeks of tension and turmoil as authorities at times closed schools, cancelled outdoor events and blockaded roads. | Eric Frein, 31, was captured on Thursday by US marshals in an abandoned plane hangar, ending a lengthy and tense manhunt. It followed seven weeks of tension and turmoil as authorities at times closed schools, cancelled outdoor events and blockaded roads. |
| Frein is accused of opening fire outside the Blooming Grove barracks on 12 September, killing Corporal Bryon Dickson and seriously wounding another trooper. | Frein is accused of opening fire outside the Blooming Grove barracks on 12 September, killing Corporal Bryon Dickson and seriously wounding another trooper. |
| Police said they linked him to the ambush after his SUV was found in a nearby swamp. They called him armed and extremely dangerous. | Police said they linked him to the ambush after his SUV was found in a nearby swamp. They called him armed and extremely dangerous. |
| During weeks of searching police found his diary, his gun and his campsites. NBC reported he was finally captured in an airport hangar at Pocono Mountain airport. | During weeks of searching police found his diary, his gun and his campsites. NBC reported he was finally captured in an airport hangar at Pocono Mountain airport. |
| A law enforcement official told the Guardian that Frein was arrested by US marshals shortly before 6pm ET. “He is currently in custody at the moment,” a spokesman for the US marshals said. “Wherever he was located, from my understanding, they called out to him, and he went into custody without incident.” | A law enforcement official told the Guardian that Frein was arrested by US marshals shortly before 6pm ET. “He is currently in custody at the moment,” a spokesman for the US marshals said. “Wherever he was located, from my understanding, they called out to him, and he went into custody without incident.” |
| Dickson, 38, was gunned down in an ambush outside his rural barracks in the Pocono mountains. Dickson, a marine veteran who joined the state police in 2007, had worked as a patrol unit supervisor in the Blooming Grove barracks since June. | Dickson, 38, was gunned down in an ambush outside his rural barracks in the Pocono mountains. Dickson, a marine veteran who joined the state police in 2007, had worked as a patrol unit supervisor in the Blooming Grove barracks since June. |
| Trooper Alex Douglass, who was shot in the pelvis during the ambush, was released from hospital on 16 October. Frein is charged with first-degree murder in Dickson’s death, along with weapons charges. | Trooper Alex Douglass, who was shot in the pelvis during the ambush, was released from hospital on 16 October. Frein is charged with first-degree murder in Dickson’s death, along with weapons charges. |
| Frein was not named as a suspect until days later when his parents’ car was discovered in a pond two miles from the barracks – inside was an assortment of items including his social security card, camouflage face paint and empty rifle cases. | Frein was not named as a suspect until days later when his parents’ car was discovered in a pond two miles from the barracks – inside was an assortment of items including his social security card, camouflage face paint and empty rifle cases. |
| With flashing Swat vans and police cars in the dark, the scene in the Pocono mountains on Thursday night was reminiscent of the early nights of the manhunt, when hundreds of officers descended on the area, including those from Pennsylvania, Connecticut, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. | With flashing Swat vans and police cars in the dark, the scene in the Pocono mountains on Thursday night was reminiscent of the early nights of the manhunt, when hundreds of officers descended on the area, including those from Pennsylvania, Connecticut, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. |
| Police had discovered remnants of Frein’s hideout in the densely wooded area during the weeks-long hunt which brought life in the rural region where Frein was raised in to a standstill: schools were closed and residents were instructed not to take risks with Frein, who was said to be an expert marksman. | Police had discovered remnants of Frein’s hideout in the densely wooded area during the weeks-long hunt which brought life in the rural region where Frein was raised in to a standstill: schools were closed and residents were instructed not to take risks with Frein, who was said to be an expert marksman. |
| He also had participated in war re-enactment groups and was said to be heavily immersed in the scene. A search of his computers showed that he had once looked up “how to avoid police manhunts” and studied survivalist tactics. | He also had participated in war re-enactment groups and was said to be heavily immersed in the scene. A search of his computers showed that he had once looked up “how to avoid police manhunts” and studied survivalist tactics. |
| The area he hid in was particularly suited for a long hideout. The Poconos mountain woods are extremely dense, as is the underbrush that coats the ground. Local hunters said that visibility in the area could be 70 yards on an average day and there were plenty of water resources. Because the area is popular for hunters, there were also plenty of cabins he could hide in, along with summer homes and foreclosed properties. | The area he hid in was particularly suited for a long hideout. The Poconos mountain woods are extremely dense, as is the underbrush that coats the ground. Local hunters said that visibility in the area could be 70 yards on an average day and there were plenty of water resources. Because the area is popular for hunters, there were also plenty of cabins he could hide in, along with summer homes and foreclosed properties. |
| Officials, saying Frein was armed and extremely dangerous, had urged residents to be alert and cautious. Using dogs, thermal imaging technology and other tools, law enforcement officials combed miles of forest as they hunted for Frein, whom they called an experienced survivalist at home in the woods. At times, police ordered nearby residents to stay inside or prevented them from returning home. | Officials, saying Frein was armed and extremely dangerous, had urged residents to be alert and cautious. Using dogs, thermal imaging technology and other tools, law enforcement officials combed miles of forest as they hunted for Frein, whom they called an experienced survivalist at home in the woods. At times, police ordered nearby residents to stay inside or prevented them from returning home. |
| Trackers found items they believe Frein hid or abandoned in the woods — including soiled diapers, empty packs of Serbian cigarettes, an AK-47-style assault rifle and ammunition, and two pipe bombs that were functional and capable of causing significant damage. | Trackers found items they believe Frein hid or abandoned in the woods — including soiled diapers, empty packs of Serbian cigarettes, an AK-47-style assault rifle and ammunition, and two pipe bombs that were functional and capable of causing significant damage. |
| They also discovered a journal, allegedly kept by Frein and found in a bag of trash at a hastily abandoned campsite that offered a chilling account of the ambush and his subsequent escape into the woods. The journal’s author described Dickson as falling “still and quiet” after being shot twice. | They also discovered a journal, allegedly kept by Frein and found in a bag of trash at a hastily abandoned campsite that offered a chilling account of the ambush and his subsequent escape into the woods. The journal’s author described Dickson as falling “still and quiet” after being shot twice. |
| Authorities said Frein had expressed anti-law enforcement views online and to people who knew him. | Authorities said Frein had expressed anti-law enforcement views online and to people who knew him. |
| Police found a US army manual called “Sniper Training and Employment” in his bedroom at his parents’ house in Candensis, and his father, a retired Army major, called his son an excellent marksman who “doesn’t miss,” according to a police affidavit. Authorities believe Frein had been planning a confrontation with police for years, citing information they found on a computer used by him. | Police found a US army manual called “Sniper Training and Employment” in his bedroom at his parents’ house in Candensis, and his father, a retired Army major, called his son an excellent marksman who “doesn’t miss,” according to a police affidavit. Authorities believe Frein had been planning a confrontation with police for years, citing information they found on a computer used by him. |
| The intensity of the search had lingering effects on businesses and individuals. US Senator Bob Casey sent a letter to the federal government requesting aid for businesses that had to close or saw less customers because of the search. One Pennsylvania man said he was stopped by police multiple times during his walks through the mountains to work because of his resemblance to Frein. | The intensity of the search had lingering effects on businesses and individuals. US Senator Bob Casey sent a letter to the federal government requesting aid for businesses that had to close or saw less customers because of the search. One Pennsylvania man said he was stopped by police multiple times during his walks through the mountains to work because of his resemblance to Frein. |
| School sports games and community events were cancelled during the 48-day search, though his capture means a more festive atmosphere for the weekend’s Halloween celebrations. | School sports games and community events were cancelled during the 48-day search, though his capture means a more festive atmosphere for the weekend’s Halloween celebrations. |
| A man and a woman believed to be Frein’s parents, reached separately by telephone on Thursday, declined to comment. | A man and a woman believed to be Frein’s parents, reached separately by telephone on Thursday, declined to comment. |
| The Associated Press contributed to this report | The Associated Press contributed to this report |