The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the suspect responsible for a series of ballot box fires that occurred in Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The first incident took place on Oct. 8 in Vancouver, where a device was placed in a drop box with messages supporting Palestine and Gaza. Two weeks later, two more ballot boxes, one in Portland and another in Vancouver, were set on fire with devices bearing similar messages. The fire suppression system in the Vancouver box failed, causing more ballots to be destroyed.
Police have stated that the incendiary devices used in the ballot box fires were placed on the outside of the boxes. The FBI is actively investigating the incidents and believes that they are all connected. Authorities suspect that the man responsible for these attacks is an experienced metalworker who may be planning additional attacks. The suspect is described as a White male between 30 and 40 years old, with balding short hair. The FBI has released images of a vehicle driven by the suspect, described as an early 2003 to 2004 Volvo S-60 sedan with specific features.
At the time of the Oct. 28 incident, the suspect’s vehicle was seen with a fraudulent temporary Washington state license plate on the rear and no front license plate. The plate is not associated with a Volvo and may no longer be on the vehicle. While no ballots were damaged in the Oct. 8 incident, only three ballots were damaged in the arson in Portland, as opposed to the hundreds that were destroyed in Vancouver. Greg Kimsey, the auditor in Clark County, Washington, referred to the arson as a direct attack on democracy just days before Election Day. Officials were able to retrieve about 475 damaged ballots from the Vancouver box.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for any information that could lead to the arrest of the suspect responsible for the ballot box fires. Law enforcement officials are actively investigating the incidents and believe that the suspect is an experienced metalworker who may be planning additional attacks. Authorities describe the suspect as a White male between 30 and 40 years old, who is balding with short hair. The FBI has released images of the suspect’s vehicle, an early 2003 to 2004 Volvo S-60 sedan with specific features.
Police have stated that the incendiary devices used in the arson attacks were placed on the outside of the ballot boxes. The FBI believes that the two incidents are connected and that the suspect may be planning more attacks. At the time of the Oct. 28 incident, the suspect’s vehicle was seen with a fraudulent temporary Washington state license plate on the rear and no front license plate. No ballots were damaged in the first incident, while only three were destroyed in Portland. However, hundreds of ballots were damaged in the Vancouver attack, which officials have described as a direct assault on democracy just days before the election.
Officials have retrieved about 475 damaged ballots from the burned ballot box in Vancouver. The FBI is actively investigating the incidents and has released images of the suspect’s vehicle in hopes of identifying and capturing the individual responsible. The suspect is believed to be a White male between 30 and 40, with specific physical characteristics. The reward offered for information leading to the suspect’s arrest highlights the severity of the crimes committed and the importance of protecting the integrity of the electoral process. Police are urging anyone with information to come forward to help bring the perpetrator to justice.
