Shootings, ballots on fire: election tensions rise in Arizona    We haven't been able to take paymentYou must update your payment details via My Account or by clicking update payment details to keep your subscription.Update payment detailsAct now to keep your subscriptionWe've tried to contact you several times as we haven't been able to take payment. You must update your payment details via My Account or by clicking update payment details to keep your subscription.Update payment detailsYour subscription is due to terminateWe've tried to contact you several times as we haven't been able to take payment. You must update your payment details via My Account, otherwise your subscription will terminate. Update payment detailsMore from The Times and The Sunday TimesTap 'Menu' and then 'Explore'Tap 'Menu' and then 'Explore'DismissAccessibility LinksSkip to contentSearchHomeUKWorldCommentBusiness & MoneySportLife & StyleCulturePuzzlesMagazinesLoginSubscribeLog inSubscribeHomeUKWorldCommentBusiness & MoneySportLife & StyleCulturePuzzlesMagazines Shootings, ballots on fire: election tensions rise in ArizonaEarly ballots were damaged when a mailbox was torched in Phoenix and a man was accused a series of apparently politically motivated shootings in TempeKeiran SouthernThursday October 24 2024, 10.55pm, The TimesJeffrey Michael Kelly, retired aerospace engineer, faces terror charges. Right: damage to a Democratic campaign office last monthKeiran SouthernThursday October 24 2024, 10.55pm, The TimesFears of election violence are rising in the battleground state of Arizona as early ballots were damaged in an arson attack and police released details about a man accused of carrying out a series of apparently politically motivated shootings.Jeffrey Michael Kelly, 60, has been named as the suspect in three separate shootings at the Democratic National Committee office in a Phoenix suburb.He was arrested this week and is facing terror charges after police discovered an arsenal of weaponry at his home amid fears he was planning an “act of mass casualty”.In a separate incident, a US Postal Service mailbox in Phoenix was set on fire early on Thursday morning, damaging about 20 ballots, according to authorities.The damage to the ballots was covered on both local and national newsArizona was the centre of numerous election conspiracies in 2020 after President Biden’s narrow victory in the state.AdvertisementThis year’s presidential election has already been marred by political violence, with Donald Trump coming within an inch of an assassin’s bullet in Pennsylvania in July.• How did a quiet maths whizz turn into the Trump shooter?A motive for the mailbox torched in Phoenix has not been disclosed. Kate Gallego, the city’s mayor, said a suspect had been arrested but their name has not been released.Adrian Fontes, Arizona’s secretary of state, said many undamaged ballots were recovered from the mailbox and voters affected would be contacted by authorities.“Any attack that strikes at our democratic process carries criminal consequences,” said Fontes, whose office is in charge of overseeing the election. “Ballot abuse is a felony in Arizona, and mailbox vandalism is a federal crime.”AdvertisementArizona is a key swing state in the contest between Trump and Kamala Harris. The shootings linked to Kelly have ratcheted up tensions with election day less than two weeks away.Kelly is a retired aerospace engineer who once had top security clearance, according to his lawyer. He is alleged to have fired BB pellets and gunshots at a Democratic field office in Tempe.• What are the seven swing states? US battlegrounds mappedThe offences are said to have occurred in the early hours of September 16, 23 and October 6.Kelly is also accused of hanging signs lined with razor blades in an affluent suburb of Phoenix that has leaned towards the Democrats in recent elections. Police allege that he attached plastic bags with white powder labeled “biohazard” to the signs.AdvertisementA search of Kelly’s home is said to have resulted in the discovery of more than 120 guns and over 250,000 rounds of ammunition.• Dispatch from Arizona: Inside Trump’s gamble on untested campaignersNeha Bhatia, the Maricopa county prosecutor, said scopes, body armour and silencers were also found, as well as a machine gun in the car he was driving. Investigators believe he was planning a mass casualty event, Bhatia said.Kelly is being held on three charges of acts of terrorism and four other charges related to the shootings, according to police. His bond was set at $500,000.Jon Ryder, the executive director of Maricopa County Democratic Party, said he kept the exact address of his headquarters private for safety reasons, noting that a Democratic office in Phoenix was “firebombed” in 2020. “There’s always the potential for something unpleasant happening,” he said.Related articlesDISPATCHInside Trump’s gamble on untested campaigners in ArizonaOctober 24 2024, 7.30pmKeiran Southern, PhoenixINTERACTIVEElectoral college map: pick your path to the White HouseNovember 06 2024, 5.10amTom Calver, Narottam MedhoraPROMOTED CONTENTBack to topGet in touchAbout usContact usHelpThe Times Editorial ComplaintsThe Sunday Times Editorial ComplaintsPlace an announcementClassified advertisingDisplay advertisingThe Times correctionsThe Sunday Times correctionsCareersMore from The Times and The Sunday TimesThe Times e-paperThe Sunday Times e-paperThe Sunday Times Wine ClubTimes Print GalleryThe Times ArchiveTimes Crossword ClubSunday Times DrivingTimes+The Sunday Times Rich ListTravelGood University GuideSchools GuideNewslettersBest Places to LiveBest Places to StayTimes AppointmentsPodcastsTimes Money MentorTimes LuxurySportswomen of the Year AwardsBest Places to WorkPuzzlesMore from News CorpThe AustralianBarron'sDow JonesFinancial News LondonInvestor's Business DailyMansion GlobalMarketWatchRealtor.comThe SunTimes Literary SupplementThe Wall Street Journal© Times Media Limited 2025.Registered in England No. 894646. 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If sunk cost fallacy was a campaign it would be Trump’s. 

The cult has wrapped up so much of their identity in his rhetoric that if they quit now they would lose themselves.