FBI shares new details of suspect in D.C. pipe bombs plant on Jan. 6 eve
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A screenshot of the FBI appeal on the person suspected of placing pipe bombs near the headquarters of the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee on Jan. 5, 2021. Screenshot: FBI/YouTube
Nearly four years after pipe bombs were planted outside the Democratic and Republican parties' headquarters in Washington, D.C., the FBI on Thursday released new information and footage on the suspect.
The big picture: A Republican-led congressional panel issued a scathing report on the FBI's "failure to identify" the person who placed these undetonated devices on Jan. 5, 2021, on the same day as the bureau released the new details in the case.
- Former Capitol Police chief Steven Sund testified in 2021 that he believed bombs were planted on the eve of the Jan. 6 riot as a diversion intended to draw law enforcement resources away from the Capitol as violence escalated.
- However, investigators have not found clear evidence that this was the case.
Zoom in: Among the new evidence the FBI on Thursday shared for the first time was the estimated height of the suspect whose gender investigators have yet to determine: about 5 feet 7 inches tall.
- The newly released footage shows the suspect leaving a bomb outside the Democratic National Committee HQ.
- A narrator notes in the new video that the suspect was "wearing distinctive Nike Air Max speed turf shoes" and that "fewer than 25,000 of these shoes were sold between August 2018 and January 2021."
By the numbers: The FBI has "assessed more than 600 tips" and conducted more than 1,000 interviews that "have helped us advance the investigation, but they have not led us to identify the suspect," per a statement from David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the bureau's Washington field office.
What they're saying: The Committee on House Administration's oversight panel said in its report the FBI initially "yielded a promising array of data and revealed numerous persons of interest."
- Then resources were later diverted and "there has been little meaningful progress toward the apprehension of the suspect," according to the report.
- Representatives for the FBI did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment in the evening.
Watch the FBI appeal in full, via YouTube:
Flashback: FBI increases reward to $500K for info on pipe bombs outside RNC, DNC headquarters
