Current:Home > MyFBI still looking for person who planted pipe bombs ahead of Jan. 6 Capitol riot -ProfitZone
FBI still looking for person who planted pipe bombs ahead of Jan. 6 Capitol riot
View
Date:2025-04-13 01:57:18
Washington — The individual who investigators say left two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican parties in Washington, D.C., the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack is still on the loose, and the FBI is offering a $500,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the person responsible.
The unsolved mystery continues to elude investigators three years later, even amid a public campaign providing detailed maps, security camera video and potentially identifying information. Investigators made public over two years ago footage showing the suspect walking through the Capitol Hill neighborhood around the time that the devices were believed to have been placed and published photos of the devices and photos and descriptions of some of the apparel the person was wearing.
The FBI says that the unknown individual wore Nike Air Max Speed turf shoes, a face mask, glasses and gloves and a gray hooded sweatshirt.
The pipe bombs did not detonate, but the FBI has said they were "viable" and posed a danger to the public.
Around 1 p.m. on Jan. 6, as Capitol rioters began to breach police barricades around the outer perimeter of the U.S. Capitol, authorities said, the two pipe bombs were found by a passerby at the DNC and RNC headquarters. Both of the buildings are just a couple of blocks from the Capitol.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who was the vice president-elect at the time, was evacuated from the Democratic National Committee headquarters when the devices were recovered. According to a U.S. Capitol Police timeline obtained by CBS News, the U.S. Secret Service and Capitol Police evacuated a "protectee" at DNC headquarters at 1:14 p.m., minutes after the pipe bomb was discovered at 1:07 p.m.
The FBI said the bombs were placed outside the RNC and DNC the night before the attack, between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and 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 report — which was written by the National Explosives Task Force, a multi-agency group that coordinates explosive expertise for law enforcement and intelligence agencies — suggested there was no evidence of a second or remote detonation method, such as a cellphone.
It remains unclear why the pipe bombs did not detonate or if they were meant to at all, but law enforcement sources told CBS News at the time that the devices could have been designed to explode the day before the electoral college certification at the Capitol.
"Three years into the investigation, identifying the perpetrator of this attempted attack remains a priority for the FBI, ATF, MPD, and the USCP," the FBI said in a statement this week. The head of the Bureau's Washington, D.C. field office said a team of agents and scientists have logged thousands of hours working on the case.
In an interview with congressional investigators last year, Steven D'Antuono, the former special agent in charge of the FBI's Washington field division said investigators had conducted a near "complete geofence" of the area in question using cellphone data and had numerous agents assigned the case.
"When I was there for 2 years it was a high priority, as much detail as they want, we put every resource that we could. We did every check, every lab test, every data. We ran this through systems back and forth, up and down, sideways, all over the place," D'Antuono said, according to a transcript of the closed-door interview.
–Tim Perry, Michael Kaplan and Nicole Sganga contributed reporting.
- In:
- January 6
- Washington
- Capitol Hill
Robert Legare is a CBS News multiplatform reporter and producer covering the Justice Department, federal courts and investigations. He was previously an associate producer for the "CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell."
veryGood! (445)
Related
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Several Trump allies could be witnesses in Georgia election interference trial
- NSYNC reunion gets spicy with upcoming 'Hot Ones' appearance: Watch the teaser
- The former head of a Florida domestic abuse agency has been charged with fraud and grand theft
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- Kylie Jenner Accidentally Reveals Sweet Timothée Chalamet Selfie on Her Phone Lock Screen
- Former US Sen. Dick Clark, an Iowa Democrat known for helping Vietnam War refugees, has died at 95
- The former head of a Florida domestic abuse agency has been charged with fraud and grand theft
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Mexico president says he’ll skip APEC summit in November in San Francisco
Ranking
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- In chic Soho, a Hindu temple offers itself as a spiritual oasis
- Tim McGraw's Birthday Tribute to Best Friend Faith Hill Will Warm Your Heart
- How your college major can influence pay. Here are the top- and bottom-paying fields.
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- Euphoria Star Angus Cloud’s Cause of Death Revealed
- Judge temporarily blocks Republican-backed overhaul of Ohio’s education system following lawsuit
- Bodies of 2 migrants, including 3-year-old boy, found in Rio Grande
Recommendation
Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
Tristan Thompson Granted Temporary Guardianship of 17-Year-Old Brother After Their Mom’s Death
Who are Rupert Murdoch’s children? What to know about the media magnate’s successor and family
Supermodel Christy Turlington's Daughter Grace Makes Her Milan Fashion Week Debut
Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
Appeals court takes up transgender health coverage case likely headed to Supreme Court
Man charged in 2 cold case murders after DNA links him to scenes
Novels from US, UK, Canada and Ireland are finalists for the Booker Prize for fiction