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Nearly four years later the FBI still has no information on the suspect who placed pipe bombs in Washington, D.C..

As if awakened to this fact by a report from congressional Republicans calling out the agency on its lack of progress on the case, the FBI released a new video of a suspect.

The individual was believed to have placed pipe bombs near the D.C. headquarters of the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee in January 2021. The new “previously unreleased video” was released Thursday showing the suspect placing a bomb near the DNC ahead of the events that unfolded at the Capitol Building on January 6.

The FBI Washington Field Office (WFO) released the updated information on Thursday as part of “a renewed call for tips from the public.” The FBI estimated the suspect to be about 5 feet 7 inches tall and offered a reward of up to $500,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual.

“Four years into the investigation, identifying the perpetrator of this attempted attack remains a priority for WFO; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Washington Field Division; the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD); and the U.S. Capitol Police Department (USCP),” the WFO announced.

But Republicans on the House Administration and Judiciary Committees didn’t think the agency was doing enough.

“Nearly four years later, federal law enforcement has yet to identity (sic) the individual responsible for planting the pipe bombs, which remains one of the unanswered questions from that day,” an interim staff report from the committee said.

“In the early weeks of the investigation, the FBI took significant investigative steps, identifying multiple persons of interest, issuing search warrants, reviewing hours of security camera footage, and analyzing the components of the pipe bombs,” the report continued. “Despite its initial efforts, the FBI has yet to identify the suspect and has refused to provide the Subcommittees with additional information about these investigative leads.”

“Over the past four years, a dedicated team of FBI agents, analysts, data scientists, and law enforcement partners has visited more than 1,200 residences and businesses, conducted more than 1,000 interviews, reviewed approximately 39,000 video files, and assessed more than 600 tips about who may have placed pipe bombs on Capitol Hill in January 2021,” David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, said in a statement.

“The tips the FBI has received so far have helped us advance the investigation, but they have not led us to identify the suspect. Today, we are releasing additional information about the suspect—including that we estimate the person to be approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall—to encourage the public to take a fresh look at the Seeking Information webpage and contact the FBI if they recognize or have information about the suspect,” Sundberg added.

The updated information on the website includes “new video with updated maps of the route the suspect walked the night the bombs were placed; previously unreleased footage of the suspect placing one of the bombs near the DNC; and closeup images of the distinctive Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes the suspect wore,” according to the WFO.

Sundberg told NBC News that someone may be more willing to come forward with information now that some time has passed.

“People may have had information they didn’t think was relative,” he said. “That’s, again, why we’re releasing new information, not just asking the public to help us with tips, but releasing new information to help them realize what might be important. Now, the FBI will run down any lead it gets, and we will be very happy to have any assistance from the public.”

GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky noted that the House committee report showed the “January 6 pipe bombs played a role in diverting resources and facilitating the breach of the Capitol.”

Frieda Powers
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