The FBI said it is offering a reward of up to $500,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
FBI officials on Jan. 2 released a new video that allegedly shows a person placing a pipe bomb near the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in Washington on Jan. 5, 2021.
The video was made public just hours after a U.S. House of Representatives report stated that it remains unclear why, years later, the FBI has still not identified any suspects in its investigation of the bomb and another bomb placed outside the headquarters of the Republican National Committee (RNC).
FBI officials did not reference the report in releasing the video. The bureau did not respond to a request for comment.
“Over the past four years, a dedicated team of FBI agents, analysts, data scientists, and law enforcement partners has visited more than 1,200 residences and businesses, conducted more than 1,000 interviews, reviewed approximately 39,000 video files, and assessed more than 600 tips about who may have placed pipe bombs on Capitol Hill in January 2021,” David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, said in a statement.
“The tips the FBI has received so far have helped us advance the investigation, but they have not led us to identify the suspect. Today, we are releasing additional information about the suspect—including that we estimate the person to be approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall—to encourage the public to take a fresh look at the Seeking Information webpage and contact the FBI if they recognize or have information about the suspect.”
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $500,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
Footage from the evening of Jan. 5, 2021, appears to show a person wearing pants and a hooded sweatshirt carrying a bag to a bench outside the DNC. The person then takes an item that the FBI identifies as a bomb, places it near the bench, and leaves.
The following day, the undetonated bombs were discovered outside the DNC and RNC.
The FBI has since identified multiple persons of interest, including one person who searched the term “pipe bomb DC” between the time the bombs were placed and discovered, according to the new report published by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), chairman of the House Administration’s Subcommittee on Oversight, and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), chairman of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust.
Another person allegedly photographed an area behind the RNC where a bomb was later planted.
“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 representatives said in a Jan. 2 statement.
After the FBI released the new video, Loudermilk wrote on social media platform X: “Four years has passed since the pipe bombs were placed at the RNC and DNC. Now the FBI decides to reengage in the investigation on the day our report is released. There is still so much more to be uncovered. We must continue to hold these agencies accountable in the 119th Congress.”
