A dispute over the use of masked, camouflage-clad guards armed with assault rifles at a controversial mining site in northern Wisconsin was temporarily defused Wednesday when the mining company announced it was pulling the guards because they are not licensed to work in the state. ...

The mining company, which has leased thousands of acres of publicly accessible forestland in Iron County for a potential open-pit iron mine, hired the security firm to patrol its test drilling site last week, after a June 11 incident in which environmental protesters allegedly raided the site and did $2,000-worth of damage to a drill rig and a camera. One activist currently faces a felony charge of robbery and three misdemeanor counts.

“We were attacked on our first day of drilling,” said Seitz. “Twelve to 15 masked people came onto the site and barricaded the road.” Seitz says the purpose of the security team was to prevent further attacks and keep company employees safe.

On Monday, two local officials sent a letter to Gogebic demanding that the company remove the guards. Sen. Bob Jauch, who coauthored the letter with Rep. Janet Bewley, D-Ashland, told NBC News he found the presence of the camo-clad guards “offensive” and said they were meant to intimidate.

“They truly look like mercenaries,” said Jauch. “They look like they’re about to stage a coup in Latin America.”
...