The FBI is considering an offer from Randy Weaver, the man whose wife they killed four years ago in a bloody standoff near Ruby Ridge, Idaho, to mediate an end to the standoff with freemen holed up near Jordan, Mont., officials said Saturday.

Weaver made the offer last week because he wanted to avoid the kind of bloodshed that left his wife and son dead, his friends said Saturday.

The likelihood that Weaver’s offer will be approved is remote, because some bureau leaders worry his presence could encourage armed supporters to come to the site, sources said. Still, the fact agents gave it any consideration shows the Justice Department’s concern that it be seen exhausting every possibility for peace.