Incendiary devices that burned ballot boxes carried ‘Free Gaza’ messages, AP source says

WASHINGTON (AP) — Incendiary devices recovered astatine nan segment of ballot driblet container fires successful Portland, Oregon, and adjacent Vancouver, Washington, this week were marked pinch nan connection “Free Gaza,” according to a rule enforcement official.

A 3rd instrumentality placed astatine a different driblet container successful Vancouver earlier this period besides carried nan words “Free Palestine” successful summation to “Free Gaza,” said nan official, who said connected nan information of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk an ongoing investigation.

Investigators are trying to place nan personification responsible and nan motive for nan suspected arson attacks, which destroyed hundreds of ballots astatine 1 location successful Vancouver connected Monday erstwhile nan driblet box’s occurrence suppression strategy didn’t activity arsenic intended. Authorities are trying to fig retired whether nan personification who near nan devices really had pro-Palestinian views aliases utilized nan connection to effort to create confusion, according to nan official.

Surveillance images captured a Volvo pulling up to a driblet container successful Portland conscionable earlier information unit adjacent discovered a occurrence wrong nan container connected Monday, according to Portland Police Bureau spokesperson Mike Benner.

The early-morning occurrence astatine nan driblet container successful Portland was extinguished quickly acknowledgment to a suppression strategy wrong nan container arsenic good arsenic a adjacent information guard, constabulary said. Just 3 of nan ballots wrong were damaged.

The ballot container successful Vancouver that burned besides had a occurrence suppression strategy inside, but it grounded to forestall hundreds of ballots from being scorched, said Greg Kimsey, nan longtime elected auditor successful Clark County, Washington, which includes Vancouver. Kimsey said Tuesday that nan nonstop number of destroyed ballots wasn’t known, and that astir 475 damaged ballots had been retrieved from nan box.

Election unit connected Wednesday planned to benignant done nan damaged ballots for accusation astir who formed them, successful nan hopes that those voters tin beryllium fixed replacement ballots. Kimsey urged voters who dropped their ballots successful nan transit halfway container betwixt 11 a.m. Saturday and early Monday to interaction his agency for a replacement ballot.

Authorities said astatine a news convention successful Portland connected Monday that capable worldly from nan incendiary devices was recovered to show that nan 2 fires were connected — and that they were connected to an Oct. 8 incendiary instrumentality astatine a different ballot driblet container successful Vancouver. No ballots were damaged successful that incident.

Voters successful Washington are encouraged to cheque nan position of their ballots astatine www.votewa.gov to way their return status. If a returned ballot is not marked arsenic “received,” voters tin people a replacement ballot aliases sojourn their section elections section for a replacement, nan caput of state’s agency said.