Topline
The night before the January 6 Capitol riot, surveillance cameras recorded footage of a person planting pipe bombs outside both the Democratic and Republican National Committee headquarters—a case in which the FBI has yet to make an arrest or identify a person of interest over a year later, with even the person’s gender remaining a mystery.
January 5 Pipe Bomb Investigation: surveillance Footage of Suspect
Key Facts
The FBI released a statement weeks after the riot that the bombs—which never went off—were planted the night of January 5 between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m., adding that the bombs were genuine and could have caused “great harm.”
The FBI initially offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information pertaining to the bomb planter—a figure they have since raised to $100,000.
In March, the FBI released security footage of the person wearing a grey hoodie, gloves, Nike Airmax sneakers, a face mask and a backpack, and showed them planting the two bombs—one next to a bench outside the DNC headquarters and the other in an alleyway next to the RNC headquarters.
The suspect’s clothing and accessories did not raise suspicion amid the Covid-19 pandemic and make it difficult to discern if the suspect is a man or woman, assistant director of the FBI’s Washington field office Steven D’Antuono told ABC on Tuesday.
D’Antuono told ABC the FBI has conducted more than 900 interviews for the case and has received 400 tips and 39,000 video files in regards to the suspect’s identity.
The FBI said in September it believed the bomb planter was operating out of the Folger Park area of Capitol Hill, and that based on the suspect’s behavior in the surveillance footage, they weren’t from the D.C. area.
What We Don’t Know
While the suspect’s motives are still unclear, former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund told Congress in February he believed the bombs were planted as a possible diversion in anticipation of the riot, forcing resources to be diverted to the buildings and away from the Capitol.
Crucial Quote
“It’s still a priority for us, has always been a priority since day one to find this individual,” D’Antuono told ABC, “and we haven’t stopped since the day that we found the devices.”
Key Background
Federal prosecutors have charged more than 725 people with crimes relating to the January 6 riot as of Friday, spanning all 50 states, according to the U.S. attorney’s office, with 70 people receiving sentences for criminal activity. A House select committee investigating the riot has subpoenaed over 50 people they believe were involved in the development of the attack on the capitol.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/masonbissada/2022/01/06/what-we-know-and-still-dont-know-about-the-dnc-and-rnc-pipe-bomb-planter-one-year-later/