Two federal workers rescued after 15-hour hostage ordeal in California forest

Two US Forest Service employees were rescued after being held hostage for around 15 hours in a remote area of Shasta-Trinity National Forest in northern California, with a father and son now facing federal kidnapping charges.

According to the US Department of Justice, the workers were carrying out field work on Thursday when they were allegedly abducted at gunpoint, restrained with zip ties and taken to a trailer in the forest.

Prosecutors said one of the suspects used a victim's mobile phone to report that he had “taken two fed (employees) hostage from the Forest Service” and had “live rounds ready.”

The call triggered a large response involving federal, state and local law enforcement. Authorities used drones to locate the trailer before negotiators spent several hours working to secure the workers' release.

The suspects, Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and Phoenix Henrichsen, 23, later surrendered and were taken into custody. Investigators said the motive remains under investigation.

Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue praised the operation, telling CNN: “I’d like to tell you it’s probably the smoothest thing that I’ve seen in many years.”

FBI acting special agent in charge Brian Tosh said: “Crisis situations like this don’t often result in everyone leaving the scene safely. We are very proud of the work everyone did today.”

If convicted, the pair could face life imprisonment.