The FBI says it is resuming its efforts to find a suspect by releasing new video of the person placing one of the pipe bombs near the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., nearly four years after two bombs were placed there.
The FBI said Thursday that it believes the culprit is about 5 feet 7 inches tall, but it still has no suspects and has not established a motive for the acts.
Information that results in the suspect’s apprehension and conviction might earn a reward of up to $500,000.
The announcement was made just hours after a report by congressional Republicans bemoaned the FBI’s failure to identify a suspect.
“Despite its initial efforts, the FBI has yet to identify the suspect and has refused to provide the Subcommittees with additional information about these investigative leads,” the House Judiciary and Administration committees noted in an interim staff report, which was made public Thursday.
On January 5, 2021, between roughly 7:30 and 8:30 p.m., the suspect planted pipe bombs in a Capitol Hill neighborhood close to the RNC and the DNC, the night before the Capitol riot.
The pipe bombs were found 15 hours after they were put, and according to the FBI, they were genuine bombs or viable devices that might have killed or gravely maimed innocent bystanders.
Agents, analysts, and data scientists have visited over 1,200 homes and businesses, interviewed over 1,000 people, examined over 39,000 video files, and evaluated over 600 tips regarding the possible identity of the person who planted the pipe bombs on Capitol Hill in January 2021, according to David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington field office.
The suspect’s shoes—Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers with a gold logo—are among the most crucial hints given to investigators.
Agents are unable to identify the culprit due to a number of variables, Sundberg said NBC News correspondent Ken Dilanian.
Since it was January and the pandemic was in effect at the time, Sundberg stated that the suspect’s wearing a mask, gloves, and a hood was completely typical at the time due to the weather conditions in January and the pandemic. This meant that local witnesses would not have regarded this particularly strange, in addition to making it difficult to identify the suspect.
Sundberg stated that he thinks someone in the public is aware of who planted the devices and that as time goes on, someone might be more inclined to come forward.
According to Sundberg, people might have had information they didn’t consider relevant. Once more, this is the reason we are disclosing additional information—not only to solicit recommendations from the public, but to assist people understand what might be significant. The FBI will now investigate any leads it receives, and we would be grateful for any help from the general public.
Potential suspects’ biographical information, contact details, demographic information, proximity to Washington, D.C., in early January 2021, and availability to pipe bomb components are among the details the FBI is requesting from the public.
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