Almost four years after two pipe bombs were placed near the headquarters of the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C., the FBI says it is renewing its efforts to track down a suspect by releasing new video of the individual placing one of the bombs near the DNC.
The FBI, which still has no suspects and has not determined a motive for the crimes, also announced Thursday that it estimates the suspect to be approximately 5 feet, 7 inches tall.
A reward of up to $500,000 is available for information leading to the suspect’s arrest and conviction.
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 refused to provide the Subcommittees with additional information about these investigative leads," the interim staff report released Thursday by the House Administration and Judiciary committees said.
The suspect placed pipe bombs in a Capitol Hill neighborhood near the RNC and the DNC on Jan. 5, 2021, between approximately 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. the night before the Capitol riot.
The FBI has said the pipe bombs, which were discovered 15 hours after they were placed, were viable devices, or real bombs that could have seriously injured or killed innocent bystanders.
David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington field office, said that agents, analysts and data scientists have 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 the pipe bombs on Capitol Hill in January 2021.
One of the most important clues to officials investigating the case are the suspect’s shoes: Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes with a gold logo.
Sundberg told NBC News correspondent Ken Dilanian that several factors are preventing agents from identifying the suspect.
“At the time this happened, it was January, during the pandemic, so not only was the suspect wearing a hood and gloves and a mask, but that was absolutely normal then, because of the pandemic and the type of weather we have in January,” Sundberg said. “So in addition to making it hard to recognize the suspect, it also meant that witnesses in the area wouldn’t have found this particularly odd.”
Sundberg said he believes a member of the public knows who placed the bombs and that someone may be more willing to come forward with the passage of time.
“People may have had information they didn’t think was relative,” said Sundberg. “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.”
The FBI is asking the public for details on potential suspects such as biographic info, contact info, demographic info, proximity to Washington, D.C., in early January 2021, and access to pipe bomb components.
