Nearly four years after two pipe bombs were planted near the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., the FBI says it is renewing its efforts to locate a suspect through posting a new video of the individual placing one of the bombs near the Democratic National Committee.
The FBI, which still has no suspects and has not determined a motive for the crimes, also announced Thursday that it estimates the suspect is approximately 5 feet, 7 inches tall.
A reward of up to $500,000 is available for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.
The announcement came just hours after congressional Republicans released a report lamenting the fact that the FBI had not yet identified a suspect.
“Despite its initial efforts, the FBI has yet to identify the suspect and has declined to provide the Subcommittees with additional information regarding these investigative leads,” said the interim report released Thursday by the Administration and Judiciary committees of the FBI. House of Representatives.
The suspect placed pipe bombs in a Capitol Hill neighborhood near the RNC and DNC on January 5, 2021, between approximately 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm the night before the Capitol riot.
The FBI has said that the pipe bombs, which were discovered 15 hours after they were placed, were either viable devices or real bombs that could have seriously injured or killed innocent bystanders.
David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington field office, said agents, analysts and data scientists visited more than 1,200 residences and businesses, conducted more than 1,000 interviews, reviewed approximately 39,000 video files and evaluated more than 600 leads. about who may have placed the homemade bombs in the Capitol in January 2021.
One of the biggest clues for officials investigating the case is the suspect’s shoes: Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers with a gold logo.
Sundberg told NBC News correspondent Ken Dilanian that several factors prevent officers from identifying the suspect.
“At the time this happened, it was January, during the pandemic, so not only was the suspect wearing a hood, gloves and a mask, but that was absolutely normal back then, due to the pandemic and the type of weather we have in January. ”Sundberg said. “So, as well as making it difficult to recognize the suspect, it also meant that witnesses in the area would not have found this particularly strange.”
Sundberg said he believes a member of the public knows who planted the bombs and that someone might be more willing to come forward as time goes by.
“It’s possible that people had information that they didn’t consider relative,” Sundberg said. “That’s, again, why we’re putting out new information, not just asking the public to help us with advice, but putting out new information to help them realize what might be important. “Now, the FBI will look into any leads they get, and we would be very happy to have the public’s help.”
The FBI is asking the public for details about possible suspects, including biographical information, contact information, demographic information, proximity to Washington, DC, as of early January 2021, and access to pipe bomb components.
