Yesterday, the FBI announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect wanted in connection with a series of arson incidents involving ballot boxes in Washington state and Oregon during early voting last month, according to ABC News.
The FBI said it is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect sought in three incendiary fires.
According to the FBI report, the first incident occurred on Oct. 8 in Vancouver, Washington, when a ballot box was set on fire between 3:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time.
Federal officials said that then, on Oct. 28, ballot boxes in Vancouver and Portland were set on fire between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time, the FBI said. Hundreds of ballots were damaged in the Vancouver incident after a fire suppression device failed to work properly.
In all three incidents, an “improvised incendiary device” was placed on the ballot drop boxes, the FBI said.
The FBI said that the Portland incident was captured by a surveillance camera, including a vehicle driven by the suspect believed to be responsible for these crimes.
In a roughly 3-minute video released by the FBI, a vehicle can be seen stopping next to the ballot box, located on a sidewalk.
The driver appeared to light an item and pass it through the driver’s window, then drive away. After the vehicle departed, the ballot box began smoking, then sparking.
Fire suppressants prevented further damage and protected nearly all the ballots, according to elections officials.
The incendiary device used in the initial incident had “Free Gaza” and “Free Palestine” on it, two sources told ABC News.
The two subsequent devices carried the slogan “Free Gaza,” according to the sources.
According to sources in the ABD News report, it was unclear whether these markings reflect the views of a pro-Palestine activist — or if it was an individual trying to manipulate existing divisions in the U.S.