US presidential election
Public US ballot boxes set on fire
In the US states of Oregon and Washington, two public collection points for ballot envelopes for the presidential election were set on fire on Monday. Hundreds of ballot papers were burned, the authorities are calling it an "attack on democracy" and the FBI is investigating.
According to the authorities, two public ballot boxes were set on fire within a few hours in Vancouver in the state of Washington and in the city of Portland in Oregon. On arrival, the fire departments found an incendiary device on the ballot boxes, which had caused the ballot papers to catch fire.
The first incident was reported to Portland police early Monday morning, around 3:30 a.m. (local time). "Our officers quickly determined that there was an incendiary device attached to the ballot box that started the fire," a police spokesman said at a press conference. A special police unit had been deployed and extinguished the incendiary device.
Authorities locate "attack on democracy"
Tim Scott, the election director of Multnomah County, where Portland is located, said that a fire extinguishing agent in the ballot box had protected almost all of the ballots, with only three ballots being damaged. They are currently working on a solution for the affected voters, they said. The authorities speak of an "attack on democracy". "We are concerned about this deliberate attempt to influence the electoral process," said the police.
Half an hour after the first incident, emergency services were also called to a ballot box in Vancouver. When they arrived, the ballot box was already on fire. A similar incendiary device to the one in Portland was also found here. However, the authorities assume that hundreds of ballot papers were damaged here. Images from a surveillance video released by the police show the suspected arsonist in a car (see photo above).
The police and the FBI are investigating. The investigating authorities suspect a connection between the two incidents on Monday and another attack of this kind in Vancouver, which took place on October 8. Although Portland and Vancouver are in different states, they are neighboring cities.
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