Suspect arrested after Arizona mailbox set on fire, damaging ballots

By Jasper Ward

(Reuters) -A person was arrested after a fire was set to a mailbox in Phoenix, Arizona, damaging several electoral ballots, the city's mayor said on Thursday.

The Phoenix Fire Department said an unknown person arrived early on Thursday to a U.S. Post Office and lit a fire inside a drive-up collection mailbox.

While responding to the incident, firefighters forced the box open and extinguished the fire, it added.

A figure was not given for the number of ballots damaged but ABC15 reported that approximately 20 were damaged, citing fire department officials.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said postal inspectors are reviewing and addressing all complaints of impacted political or election mail.

"Anyone who steals, disrupts, delays or otherwise tampers with political or election mail should know that the full investigative strength of the federal government will be directed toward them, including Postal Inspectors, special agents with the USPS Office of Inspector General and Federal Bureau of Investigation, and prosecutors with the Department of Justice," the spokesperson said.

"This zero tolerance approach ensures that American citizens can vote with the confidence that their mail and the election, two of America’s most trusted institutions, are free from criminal disruption."

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said she was monitoring the situation and maintaining regular communication with the Arizona secretary of state, Maricopa County Recorder's Office - which oversees voter registration and mail voting - and local and federal law enforcement.

Arizona is one of the battleground states that could determine the Nov. 5 election between Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump.

(Reporting by Jasper WardEditing by Bill Berkrot)