Washington — In the four years since the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, federal investigators have amassed evidence that has led to the arrest of more than 1,500 defendants.
Still, one key aspect of an event linked to that day remains a mystery: the identity of the person who planted two pipe bombs on Capitol Hill the night before the riots.
The FBI posted new video and information on Thursday in the hope that the leads may find new leads. The bureau is once again offering a $500,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. In all, the FBI said it has spent thousands of hours investigating the case.
Investigators released new security camera video that showed the suspect sitting on a park bench, reaching into his backpack and planting a pipe bomb outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington on the night of 5 January 2021. Another pipe bomb was left near the Republican National Committee Headquarters that same afternoon. The FBI said the devices were left between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m
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The FBI also revealed Thursday that investigators estimate the suspect, who was captured on video wearing a face mask and hoodie, to be 5 feet 7 inches tall.
According to a report obtained by CBS News in March 2021, the bombs contained only one method of detonation: a 60-minute kitchen timer. The devices did not go off, and it is still unclear when and if they were meant to explode. But the FBI said its analysis concluded that the pipe bombs were viable and posed a danger to the public.
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They were finally discovered outside the buildings around 1:00 p.m. on January 6, when the rioters entered the nearby Capitol grounds. Law enforcement officials have said the discovery of the pipe bombs likely diverted resources from responding to the simultaneous crisis at the Capitol.
David Sunberg, head of the FBI’s Washington field office, told CBS News in an interview that the case is “absolutely still a high priority” and that the devices “could have killed somebody,” noting which were left “in a residential area”.
Sunberg and the FBI urge members of the public to do so review recently published informationwhich includes an animated rendering of the Nike shoes the suspect was wearing that day.
“We’ve spent thousands of hours investigating, conducting interviews, looking at every piece of physical and digital evidence and following tips from the public. And those tips from the public have been helpful. They’ve furthered this investigation,” Sunberg said. “They’ve allowed us to rule people out at times. They’ve also given us certain leads that we’ve been able to follow for investigative purposes, but they still haven’t allowed us to identify the person who planted these two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican National Convention is now almost four years old.”
The FBI’s failure to find a suspect has drawn criticism from lawmakers. A report released Thursday by Republican staffers on a pair of House subcommittees criticized law enforcement’s initial response to the bombings and the FBI’s subsequent investigation.
The report found that the FBI had identified “multiple persons of interest in the early weeks and months” of the investigation, and soon “collected more than 105,000,000 data points.” But none led to the identification of a definitive suspect.
According to congressional investigators, some of the potential targets included a person who searched for “pipe bomb DC” in the time between when the bombs were planted and when they were discovered the next day. The FBI also turned their attention to someone who worked in the area and had a pair of the suspect’s sneakers.
“The devices put many lawmakers, staff, law enforcement and residents at risk. Yet, nearly four years after the incident, Americans have barely any details about who planted the bombs or why,” the congressional report said. “This lack of information hinders the ability of Congress to legislate improvements to the security of the Capitol complex and the operations of federal law enforcement. The failure to identify, arrest and prosecute the attack makes all Americans are less safe.”
contributed to this report.
