The FBI has released new information about an unknown suspect who planted two pipe bombs nearly four years ago near the Republican and Democratic national committee headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The devices were discovered and disarmed on the eve of the Jan. 6 Capital assault in 2021, but the suspect has so far evaded detection and capture.
The FBI has now announced that its investigation will be renewed.
On Thursday, the federal law enforcement agency released new video of the suspect placing one of the bombs near the Democratic National Committee in the hopes that the public will help identify the person. A reward of up to $500,000 is still available for information leading to the suspect’s arrest and conviction.
The FBI’s announcement came just hours after congressional Republicans condemned investigators for failing to make an arrest in the planned attack. The report also criticized alleged “security failures” related to the pipe bombs.
Pipe bombs placed outside DNC, RNC buildings in 2021
Authorities say the pipe bombs were planted at the DNC and RNC headquarters the night before a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a deadly attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
Investigators have spent years looking for the suspect, whose blurry images were captured by surveillance cameras on January 5, 2021, in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The suspect is wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and a face mask, according to previously released FBI photos.
The individual is also seen wearing distinctive Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes in yellow, black, and gray.
While the bombs did not detonate, the FBI has stated that the devices could have seriously injured or killed innocent people.
Congressional Republicans blast FBI investigation
The FBI’s latest announcement on the case, the first major update in nearly two years, came just hours after congressional Republicans released a report criticizing the agency’s probe.
The House Administration and Judiciary committees’ interim staff report, released Thursday, slammed the FBI for failing “to provide substantive updates to Congress about the status of the investigation.”
While the FBI identified multiple suspects, served search warrants, reviewed hours of security camera footage, and examined the pipe bomb components, the report claims that “Americans scarcely have any detail about who planted the bombs or why.”
“The devices put many lawmakers, staff, law enforcement, and residents in danger,” according to the report. “The failure to identify, apprehend, and prosecute the bomber ultimately makes all Americans less secure”
FBI releases new video, solicits public tips about pipe bomb suspect
Investigators have interviewed approximately 1,000 people in connection with the investigation, vetted 600 tips, and examined 39,000 video files, according to David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office.
“The tips the FBI has received so far have helped us advance the investigation, but they have not led us to identify the suspect,” Sundberg told reporters. “We encourage anyone who has previously hesitated to come forward or who did not realize they had important information to contact the FBI.
The FBI announced the new information on its Seeking Information page. The new video shows the suspect sitting on a bench and removing what law enforcement says is a pipe bomb from a bag before placing it under a bench outside the Democratic National Committee building near the Capitol.
The FBI also released updated maps of the suspect’s route the night the bombs were placed, as well as close-up images of the suspect’s distinctive Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes.
For the first time, the FBI has estimated the suspect’s height to be around 5 feet, 7 inches.
Anyone with information can contact the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 or submit it online at tips.fbi.gov. Tipsters can stay anonymous.