Topline
The FBI has arrested a suspect for allegedly placing pipe bombs outside the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C. just before the Capitol riots, sources told multiple outlets, following years of investigation with few answers.
The bombs were placed at the Republican and Democratic headquarters shortly before the Capitol riots.
Associated Press
Key Facts
The FBI has not announced the arrest and few details about the suspect have been released, but sources told the Associated Press the suspect was male.
It is unclear what charges the suspect could face.
The unsolved mystery has captivated conspiracy theorists on the far-right for years since the bombs were discovered, and the case was one of multiple Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino said would receive “additional resources and investigative attention” in the months after he and FBI Director Kash Patel were confirmed.
Key Background
The bombs were placed outside the RNC and DNC offices on Jan. 5, 2021, the night before a large mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building while Congress was certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election for former President Joe Biden. The bombs were planted near the two parties’ headquarters—in an alley outside the RNC building, and under a bench near the DNC building. They were not discovered for about 17 hours, and Vice President Kamala Harris was evacuated from the DNC building after they were found. Although they did not go off, the FBI confirmed they were “viable pipe bombs that could have seriously injured or killed innocent bystanders.” Despite collecting visual evidence from surveillance footage, the suspected bomber’s identity has remained elusive for the past five years. Investigators eventually offered a $490,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the suspected bomber, in addition to a $10,000 reward from the Metropolitan Police Department.