Rantz: ‘Free Gaza’ activist may be behind Vancouver, Portland ballot box arsons

Sources speaking to ABC News said the incendiary devices that set fire to Vancouver and Portland ballot boxes had the expression “Free Gaza” and “Free Palestine” on them.

Police believe the three ballot boxes targeted with the devices are connected incidents. A Clark County official said it appeared about 475 ballots were damaged in one of the Vancouver ballot box arsons, but it’s unknown how many were completed destroyed. The fire suppression device inside the ballot box did not work as intended, according to the Clark County Auditor.

Only three ballots were destroyed in the Portland incident. In this ballot box, the fire suppression system worked.

Nearby surveillance captured a Volvo pulling up to the ballot drop box in Portland before the fire. It’s believed the driver placed the incendiary devices on the outside of the ballot boxes. The FBI has joined the investigation, but has not released a specific motive yet.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI want to assure our communities that we are working closely and expeditiously together to investigate the two incendiary fires at the ballot boxes in Vancouver, Washington, and the one in Portland, Oregon, and will work to hold whoever is responsible fully accountable,” a spokesperson for the FBI said in a statement.

The Pacific Northwest, particularly in and around Portland, is known for violent political activism — some with deep ties to Antifa extremists. Portland has been a hotbed for anti-Israel activism in the area.

More from Jason Rantz: Vancouver ballot box arson shows vulnerability, but also disinterest from Sec. Hobbs

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