Three separate ballot boxes set on fire on the West coast are now being investigated by the FBI for ties to pro-Palestinian activists after the phrases popularized by activists were reportedly found on the boxes.
Messages of "Free Gaza" and "Free Palestine" were reportedly found on the incendiary devices that damaged ballot boxes in Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, two unnamed law enforcement officials told the New York Times.
A political letter was also reportedly dropped into one of the Washington drop boxes. The message stated, "ALL DROP BOXES WILL BURN. FREE GAZA," as reported by the New York Post. It has not been confirmed if the message is from the same suspect.
One of the officials told the Times that investigators have not ruled out the possibility that the phrases were added to throw off investigators and spark public backlash.
Two of the incidents occurred on Monday. Police said three ballots were burned at the Portland ballot box after a fire suppression system was able to save most of the ballots. Meanwhile, hundreds of ballots were destroyed at one of the Vancouver locations after that box's system failed.
On Oct. 8, another ballot box was set on fire in Vancouver. The three incidents are currently being investigated as connected.
"There was enough evidence collected at all three scenes that lead us to believe that all three incidents are connected, and we cannot get into more detail," Mike Benner, a spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau, told the Times Monday.
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