Why arrest him now and not then?
Because 'then', he had hundreds of armed ranchers backing him up, 'now', he was a 70 year old man by himself...
Cliven Bundy arrested in Portland as Oregon occupiers say they will surrender
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/02/10/fbi-closes-in-on-last-oregon-refuge-occupiers/
The FBI in Portland would not confirm the circumstances of elder Bundy’s arrest. But the Oregonian reported that he was apprehended at Portland International Airport after disembarking from his flight from Las Vegas late Wednesday night. The newspaper said that Bundy, 74, faces the same charge as his sons in relation to his standoff with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in 2014. He also faces weapons charges, it said.
Because as long as he sat at home, he wasn’t a threat. When he headed up there as a potential reinforcement for the Occupy crowd, they needed to stop him before he got there.
Because it would have meant digging him out of his ranch with all those armed people around him. The Feds are patient when they want to be. They knew that sooner or later they would be able to arrest Bundy with no undue fuss.
I got a better suggestion..how bout arresting a couple of real criminals.
Bill and Hillary Clinton.