WASHINGTON — The FBI has posted new videos nearly four years later, of the person they believe placed two pipe bombs each outside the headquarters of Democratic and Republican Parties on Capitol Hill, the night before the Jan. 6, 2021 attacks on the U.S. Capitol.
A 72-second video released by the FBI on Thursday night appears to show the suspect sitting down on a bench, clutching a bag and then walking away with the bag near the Democratic National Committee headquarters, where the Democratic Party is based. The DNC is in Capitol Hill on 430 South Capitol St. SE.
“Four years into the investigation, identifying the perpetrator of this attempted attack remains a priority for the Washington Field Office,” the FBI said on Thursday.
The Republican National Committee, the headquarters for the GOP, where the suspect also placed a pipe bomb, is a few hundred feet away on the 310 First St. SE.
According to the FBI, the video is from around 7:54 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2021. Law enforcement has said they believe the suspect planted the bombs between 7:30 and 8:30 that night.
Four years later the FBI still had limited information to describe the unknown suspect, who wore a hoodie and a face mask while planting the pipe bombs – agents have yet to confirm even the suspect’s gender. In another, longer video released by the bureau on Thursday, agents said they now estimate that the suspect’s height is around 5 feet 7 inches.
In that second video, FBI also put out a map of the walking route the suspect apparently took while planting the bombs, they also released new pictures of the Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers that the person was wearing.
“We urge anyone who may have hesitated to come forward, or who may not have realized they had important information to contact the FBI,” the bureau said.
Between the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the organizations offer a $500,000 reward for anyone with information “leading to the location, arrest and conviction of the person responsible.”
The pipe bombs were first discovered during the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the Capitol around 1 p.m. that day. Vice President Kamala Harris, who was Vice President-elect at that point was inside the DNC at the time and was evacuated by U.S. Secret Service and Capitol Police minutes after the bomb was discovered.
Since 2021, the FBI has interviewed 1,000 people and stopped at 1,200 homes and businesses asking about the pipe bombs.
Jan. 6 has historically been the date when Congress certifies the results of the electoral college to formalize the results of a presidential election. On Monday, Congress has been expected to meet and undergo the same process, this time to count and certify the electoral college votes of the 2024 election, marking four years since the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.