The FBI released new video on Wednesday of a masked suspect who, according to officials, planted pipe bombs outside the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters on the eve of the January 6 riots at the US Capitol.
The new information includes a virtual map that depicts the path the suspect took while planting the two bombs on January 5 between 7.30 p.m. and 8.30 p.m.
The suspect was dressed in a face mask, glasses, a grey hooded sweatshirt, gloves, and black and light grey Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers with a yellow logo.
According to the FBI, based on surveillance video and interviews with Capitol Hill residents, the suspect was not from that neighborhood and most likely had a location near Folger Park from which he or she was operating.
One of the recordings released on Wednesday shows the masked person pacing down South Capitol Street with a backpack in hand. At one point, the suspect drops his backpack on the ground and is passed by a man walking his dog in shorts.
Another video shows the pipe bomb suspect sitting on a bench near the DNC, in the area where the pipe bomb was later detonated.
A third video shows the same person walking with the backpack past the Capitol Hill Club, which is located on 1st Street SE, next to the RNC building.
The explosive devices were planted outside the two buildings in the Capitol Hill neighborhood between 7.30 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. on January 5, and were discovered the next day by law enforcement.
At 12:45 p.m. on January 6, US Capitol Police and agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives were summoned to the RNC’s office.
While the agents and bomb technicians were still investigating at the RNC, another call came in for a similar explosive device discovered nearby at the DNC headquarters. No one was injured as a result of the bombs being rendered safe.
According to the FBI, the bombs were made of threaded galvanized pipes, kitchen timers, and homemade black powder.
It’s unclear whether the bombs were connected to the insurgency — when thousands of then-President Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol as Congress was voting to certify Joe Biden’s presidential election victory — or if they were unrelated to the deadly riot. Both structures are just a few blocks away from the Capitol.
The person responsible for the bombs is still at large more than eight months later.
In a statement, the FBI stated that it was releasing new video and additional information in the hopes of generating new tips that would assist the agency in identifying the suspect, which remains a priority.
“The FBI is extremely grateful to the American people who have already provided us with vital assistance in this case,” said Steven D’Antuono, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “Since January, the FBI has conducted more than 800 interviews, collected more than 23,000 video files, and assessed more than 300 tips related to this investigation.Those tips have helped us uncover new information, which we are releasing today and asking the public to view it and call us with any information you think may be relevant.”
A $100,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in this case.
