FBI releases new footage of pipe bomb suspect near DNC headquarters day before Capitol riot

Federal law enforcement has not publicly identified a suspect following the 6 January attack

The FBI has released new surveillance footage of a person suspected of placing a pipe bomb near the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington DC the day before a riot at the US Capitol.

Video shows a person carrying a bag and sitting on a park bench near the DNC, then standing with the bag and walking away from “the area where the suspect later placed the pipe bomb,” according to the FBI.

The person is also suspected of placing a pipe bomb in an alley near the Republican National Committee headquarters.

Bombs reportedly were made with galvanised pipes, a kitchen timer and gun powder.

The agency also released a virtual map that details the suspect’s route on 5 January, the night before a mob stormed the halls of Congress and threatened lawmakers to reject the votes of millions of Americans as Congress convened to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The person in the video is wearing a face mask, glasses, a grey hooded sweatshirt, gloves, and black and light grey Nike shows, according to the FBI. The suspect carried the pipe bombs in a backpack, the agency said.

Law enforcement has conducted more than 800 interviews, collected more than 23,000 video files and received more than 300 tips related to the investigation, according to Steven M D’Antuono, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington field office.

But more than nine months after police discovered pipe bombs in the capital, no suspects have been announced, and it remains unclear whether federal law enforcement has made any progress identifying one. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have offered a reward of $100,000 for information that leads to a positive ID.

In contrast, federal law enforcement has arrested nearly 600 people from nearly every state in connection with the Capitol riot.

More than 170 people have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement during the attack, according to the US Department of Justice.