Portland police say the ballot box arsonist has “a wealth of experience” with welding and metalworking

New details emerge about incendiary devices planted in ballot boxes early Monday in Portland and Vancouver, Washington.

At a news conference Wednesday, Portland police released their first description of a suspect. Agency spokesman Mike Benner said the person was believed to be a white male, between 30 and 40 years old, with short hair or balding, a thin to medium build, a thin face and a dark shirt.

“We believe this suspect has extensive experience in metal fabrication and welding,” Benner said. “It is highly likely that the suspect will continue to carry out targeted attacks throughout the region.”

Benner said law enforcement believes the same person is connected to both incidents on Monday, as well as a third incident on Oct. 8 in Vancouver where the incendiary device was not triggered.

Police are searching for a black or dark-colored 2001-2004 Volvo S-60 that was spotted at the scene of the fire in Portland. The car did not have a front license plate, making identification difficult.

The incidents – just days before the 2024 election – have raised concerns about security. law enforcement, together with businesses and local officialsThey are preparing for the possibility of unrest, but also urging calm, regardless of the outcome.

In September, U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials sent an intelligence letter to states warning that social media posts over the past six months had promoted the destruction of ballot drop boxes during the 2024 election cycle.

“Election infrastructure remains an attractive target for some domestic violent extremists and other threat actors with election-related grievances who seek to disrupt the democratic process and election operations,” the letter said.

Methods included using road flares, white phosphorus and farm machinery to damage ballot boxes, which the Bulletin called “soft targets” because they are widely accessible.

“Some social media users recommended posing as an ideological opponent and wearing clothing and masks associated with 'Antifa,'” the intelligence bulletin said. It also noted that similar threats occurred in the 2020 and 2022 elections and that “states with more ballot drop boxes may be at greater risk.”

Related: Election officials say ballot drop boxes are still safe for voting despite arson attacks in Portland and Vancouver

Oregon and Washington are primarily mail-in voting states, where voters return their ballots by mail or to drop-off locations.

Election officials in Vancouver have increased security at ballot drop boxes, stressing that they are secure and that cast ballots will be picked up earlier in the day.

The damaged Ballot boxes in both states were equipped with a fire extinguishing system Systems that respond to temperature spikes.

In Portland, these canisters worked. Out of hundreds, only three ballots were damaged.

In Vancouver, this system did not appear to work and 488 ballots were damaged. Clark County election officials said in a news release Wednesday that 345 voters had already contacted the election office to request a replacement ballot. Six ballots were unidentifiable, officials said, and others “may have been completely burned to ash and therefore unidentifiable.”

The FBI said in a statement this week that it was working with local, state and other federal law enforcement agencies “to actively investigate the incidents” and “determine who is responsible.”

“It’s an extremist act,” said Renn Cannon, a former FBI special agent in Oregon. “There are a variety of different extremist groups and extremist ideologies where I find this to be appropriate, whereas someone who subscribes to that ideology might see this as a logical action.”

During Wednesday's news conference in Portland, police declined to provide details about a possible motive for the attacks.

Cannon said investigators would look at everything from social media posts to tips and security footage. The devices themselves are also an important piece of evidence.

“Devices that people build sometimes have signatures, and so there is a database of electronic devices that could be analyzed,” Cannon said, “to see if they match certain techniques that are known to exist they are associated with a specific person or group.”

“I don’t lie awake at night worrying about next week.”

Despite the manhunt, officials from across the region tried to strike a confident tone ahead of Election Day as they gave an overview of their plans to allow peaceful protests while minimizing violence.

After the 2020 protests, Portland Police Chief Bob Day said at the press conference that the city's response to the results will draw national attention.

“Everyone looks at Portland – even now, four years later – everyone wants to know how we’re going to do,” Day said.

He and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler were flanked by more than a dozen local agency heads, including Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt and Doug Olson, special agent in charge of the FBI's Portland office.

City officials said they plan to set up an emergency command-style approach next week. Police officers have eliminated days off for the week, Day said, sending more rank-and-file officers out into the public.

Benner, spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau, later said that the Gresham, Lake Oswego and Port of Portland police departments were ready to respond to emergency calls elsewhere in the city when Portland police were busy.

Still, questions about preparation remain. At a recent meeting of local law enforcement officials, Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell warned about this The county's jails are near capacity.

Morrisey O'Donnell said Wednesday that the prison is considering sending currently incarcerated people to other jurisdictions if necessary. She also said she and others “will be assessing people’s locations during their stay.”

Agency leaders — as well as Andrew Hoan, president and CEO of the Portland Business Alliance and the Portland Metro Chamber — took turns at the podium to highlight the concerted approach. Wheeler said they had been preparing for “several specific scenarios” for months.

Asked whether Portland officers communicated their plans to federal agents after they made headlines in 2020 for dragging protesters off the street and into unmarked vans, Day said there had been no unusual communication.

“We work regularly with our federal partners, but not with a request to have additional police officers on site,” Day said. “We do not demand or aim for a repeat of this behavior from 2020.”

Day later remarked that he was not worried, although he felt the city had reached “the moment” when Portland could show a united Portland.

“Guys, I don’t lie awake at night worrying about next week,” Day said. “I think next week is our time.”