Incendiary devices found at the scene of ballot drop box fires in Portland , Oregon , and nearby Vancouver , Washington , this week were marked with the message “Free Gaza,” according to a law enforcement official.
A third device placed at a different drop box in Vancouver earlier this month also carried the words “Free Palestine” in addition to “Free Gaza,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.
Investigators are trying to identify the person responsible and the motive for the suspected arson attacks, which destroyed hundreds of ballots at one location in Vancouver on Monday when the drop box’s fire suppression system didn’t work as intended. Authorities are trying to figure out whether the person who left the devices actually had pro-Palestinian views or used the message to try to create confusion, according to the official.
Surveillance images captured a Volvo pulling up to a drop box in Portland just before security personnel nearby discovered a fire inside the box on Monday, according to Portland Police Bureau spokesman Mike Benner.