Topline
The FBI and its partners have dramatically increased the reward for information about a suspect who planted pipe bombs at the Republican and Democratic national committee headquarters on the eve of the January 6 Capitol riot, the bureau announced Wednesday, as the incident remains unsolved just one day before its two-year anniversary.
This image from the FBI shows a person of interest in the pipe bomb investigation the night before … [+]
Key Facts
The FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have put up a combined $490,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect, while the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C. has offered an additional $10,000, the organizations announced Wednesday.
They increased the reward by fivefold overnight to “urge those who may have previously hesitated” to come forward with any relevant information, David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, said in a statement.
Big Number
500. That’s how many tips the FBI and partners have assessed in the pipe bomb investigation, the bureau said. Investigators have also conducted about 1,000 interviews, visited more than 1,200 residences and businesses and collected more than 39,000 video files.
Tangent
FBI materials show the suspect carried a backpack as they planted two pipe bombs in the Capitol Hill neighborhood on January 5, 2021, the night before the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol. The suspect wore a face mask, glasses, gloves, a gray hooded sweatshirt and black and gray Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes with a yellow logo. The FBI noted Wednesday that while neither of the bombs detonated, the suspect “could have seriously injured or killed innocent bystanders” and “may still pose a danger to the public or themselves.”
Key Background
The FBI says the suspect planted pipe bombs in an alley behind the headquarters of the Republican National Committee, as well as under a bench near the Democratic National Committee headquarters (a car carrying Kamala Harris, who was then Vice President-elect, drove within feet of the DNC bomb before it was discovered, according to CNN). Last year, the FBI said investigators believe the suspect was working out of the Folger Park area of Capitol Hill, and that they weren’t from Washington, D.C. Former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund speculated the bombs were planted to create a diversion in anticipation of a riot on January 6 in a move that would have forced law enforcement resources to be diverted away from the Capitol.
Further Reading
What We Know—And Still Don’t Know—About The DNC And RNC Pipe Bomb Planter One Year Later (Forbes)
Pipe Bombs Were Put Near DNC, RNC Headquarters The Night Before D.C. Rioting, FBI Says (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2023/01/04/police-now-offering-500000-for-information-on-capitol-hill-pipe-bombs-as-unsolved-case-reaches-two-year-mark/