Portland police have released a description of an individual suspect they believe was involved in setting ballot boxes on fire in Oregon and Washington: a balding, middle aged man driving a dark-colored Volvo who they believe is likely to attempt to interfere with election materials again.
On Thursday, the Portland Police Bureau released a description of a suspect believed to have set fire to ballot boxes in Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington, via press release. The man is said to be aged 30-40, bearing short or thinning hair with a thin to medium build. Police also expect him to be highly knowledgeable in welding, considering that they believe the device he used to ignite the ballot boxes was one he'd welded on his own.
He was driving a dark-colored car which police believe is a 2001-2004 Volvo S-60. The car was missing a license plate and a brand emblem.
Investigators believe only one individual was involved in the ballot box fires that destroyed 500 ballots in Vancouver and another 3 in Portland, reported KGW8. They also believe the same individual caused damage to a ballot drop box in Vancouver earlier this month, attempting to light it on fire using a "suspicious device."
Pro-Palestine slogans were also found on the devices the individual used to burn the ballot boxes, such as "Free Gaza" and "Free Palestine", according to the New York Times. Investigators are trying to determine if the fires are genuine acts of protest in support of Palestine, or if someone is simply attempting to sow division ahead of the 2024 election.
However, at a news briefing on Wednesday, law enforcement officials did not confirm nor deny the inclusion of the slogans upon the incendiary devices, stating that the devices were sent to forensics to be analyzed for "unique markings".
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