‘Free Gaza’ messages found after ballot box firings in Oregon and Washington: Officials fear more may come

The man is suspected of it burning ballot boxes in Oregon and Washington state, a veteran metalworker may be planning more attacks, authorities said Wednesday.

Investigators believe the man who placed the incendiary devices in ballot boxes in Portland, Oregon, and nearby Vancouver, Washington, had a “wealth of experience” in metal fabrication and welding, said Mike Benner, spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau.

The way the devices were constructed and the way they were attached to the metal mailboxes demonstrated that expertise, Benner said.

Authorities describe the suspect as a white male, between 30 and 40 years old, who is bald or has very short hair.

The police said that earlier surveillance video showed the man driving a black or dark colored Volvo S-60 from 2001 to 2004. The vehicle had no front license plate, but did have a rear license plate with unknown letters or numbers.

The firebombs were marked with the message “Liberate Gaza,” according to a law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.

A third device placed at another mailbox in Vancouver earlier this month also contained the words “Free Palestine” in addition to “Free Gaza,” the official said.

Investigators are trying to identify the person responsible and the motive for the suspected arsons hundreds of ballots destroyed or damaged at the Vancouver drop box on Monday when the box’s fire suppression system did not work as intended. Authorities are trying to determine whether the suspect actually had pro-Palestinian views or used the message to sow confusion, the official said.

Surveillance footage captured a Volvo pulling up to a mailbox in Portland just before nearby security personnel discovered a fire in the box on Monday, Benner said. The early morning fire was quickly extinguished thanks to the box’s fire suppression system and a nearby security guard, police said. Only three of the ballots inside were damaged.

The Vancouver ballot box that burned also had a fire suppression system, but it did not prevent hundreds of ballots from being scorched, said Greg Kimsey, a longtime elected auditor in Clark County, Washington, which includes Vancouver. Kimsey said Tuesday that the exact number of ballots destroyed was not known and that approximately 475 damaged ballots had been removed from the box.

Elections staff on Wednesday planned to search the damaged ballots for information about who cast them, hoping those voters can get replacement ballots. Kimsey urged voters who left their ballots in the transit center box between 11 a.m. Saturday and early Monday to contact his office for a replacement ballot.

Authorities in Portland said Monday that enough material from the firebombings had been recovered to show that the two fires were related — and that they were connected to an Oct. 8 firebombing of another polling place in Vancouver. No ballots were damaged in that incident.

Voters in Washington are encouraged to check the status of their ballots www.votewa.gov to track their return status. If a returned ballot is not marked “received,” voters can print a replacement ballot or go to their local elections department for a replacement ballot, the secretary of state’s office said.