Two biologists employed by the U.S. Forest Service were taken hostage on a remote part of the Shasta‑Trinity National Forest in northeastern California late last week. According to US news | The Guardian, a man—later reported to have carried an AR‑15—ordered the women to turn around with their hands in the air before restraining them.
Court documents cited in the Guardian report state that the captor used zip ties to secure the scientists and then forced them into a nearby trailer, where the authorities say they were held for roughly fifteen hours. No injuries were reported, and the pair were eventually released, but the incident highlighted the threat posed by armed individuals to federal workers operating in remote wilderness areas.
The kidnapping underscores growing security concerns for U.S. Forest Service employees who conduct essential research in isolated locations amid increasing instances of armed confrontations in national parks and forests.