FBI releases new details on metal compounds used to spark Pacific Northwest ballot box fires

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The devices used to spark three ballot drop box fires in the Pacific Northwest during the 2024 election were made of a “very volatile mix” of thermite and scrap metal, FBI agents said Thursday.

Thermite devices are made of metal shavings and iron oxide, and can burn as hot as 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,204 Celsius), Special Agent in Charge Doug Olson told reporters at a news conference at the FBI’s Portland field office. He said the person who made the devices welded them using scrap metal for the exterior and inserted thermite inside. Thermite can be easily made, he added.

“We’re very worried that this person may harm himself or others if he continues to experiment with thermite,” Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington said. “In addition to the physical risks, these devices can cause significant damage to homes, storage areas or testing locations such as fields and forests.”

Authorities still believe the suspect is a man, but are open to the “slight possibility” that the suspect is a woman, Herrington said. The agents said they were also open to the possibility that the suspect may have an accomplice, but that they don’t have any information to substantiate that.

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The agents said they didn’t know whether the suspect was still in the area.

Authorities are urging people to share information if they know of anyone with “unexplained” storage of metal shavings, or an “unusual interest” in researching thermite, welding metals or collecting small metal scraps. Burn damage to a home, storage area or wilderness area could also provide clues, the agents said, as could heightened interest in following news coverage of the case.

On Oct. 28, about a week before Election Day, a ballot box in Portland, Oregon, and one in neighboring Vancouver, Washington state, were set on fire in what officials decried as an attack on democracy. The drop box fire in Vancouver — which was home to one of the most competitive U.S. House races in the country — damaged hundreds of ballots.

A fire suppression system in the Portland drop box prevented most of the ballots from being scorched. Just three of the ballots inside were damaged.

The ballot box in Vancouver also had a fire suppression system inside, but it failed to prevent hundreds of ballots from being damaged. Elections staff were able to identify nearly 500 damaged ballots retrieved from the box, according to the Clark County auditor’s office.

A previous drop box fire in Vancouver on Oct. 8 didn’t damage any ballots. Vancouver, the biggest city in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, was the site of a competitive House race between Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, as she sought a second term, and Republican challenger Joe Kent.

Authorities previously described the suspect as a male who may have metalworking or welding experience. They described him as a white man, age 30 to 40, who is balding or has very short hair.

The FBI has specifically asked for help identifying the suspect’s car. Surveillance cameras captured images of a dark-colored, early 2003 to 2004 Volvo S-60 sedan, but at the time of the two most recent ballot box fires on Oct. 28 in Portland and Vancouver, it had a fraudulent temporary Washington license plate on the rear and no front plate, the bureau said.

The car had a light-colored interior, worn trim, a sunroof and dark after-market rims, and was missing the Volvo logo normally affixed to the front grill, but it’s possible the suspect has since repaired or replaced certain features, Herrington said. The suspect may have also sold or disposed of the car, he added.

The agents urged those who know someone who recently disposed of — or stopped using — a Volvo matching that description to share any information they may have.

The Oct. 28 incendiary devices were marked with the message “Free Gaza,” according to a law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation. A third device placed at a different drop box in Vancouver on Oct. 8 also carried the words “Free Palestine” in addition to “Free Gaza,” the official said.

Authorities are trying to figure out whether the suspect actually had pro-Palestinian views or used the message to try to create confusion, the official said.

The FBI has offered up to $25,000 as a reward for information about the suspect.