FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino made headlines this week when he revealed the bureau was “closing in” on suspects involved in planting two pipe bombs near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, a sign that the bureau may soon solve the nagging, four-year mystery.
“The second we got in, I put a team on it and I said, ‘I want answers on this,’” Bongino told “Fox & Friends.” “And I’m pretty confident that we’re closing in on some suspects.”
Law enforcement discovered the two pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic National Committees’ headquarters around the same time that thousands of rioters a few blocks away began to descend on the Capitol in protest of the 2020 election results.
A faction of President Donald Trump’s base has since raised questions about the timing of the pipe bomb incident and security failures surrounding it and speculated that the Biden administration was not forthright to the public about the facts of the case. Prior to being sworn in, Bongino was a leading voice perpetuating that notion.
FBI ‘CLOSING IN’ ON SUSPECTS IN CASE OF DC PIPE BOMBS PLACED ON EVE OF JAN 6
A former Secret Service agent and podcast host, Bongino told listeners of his popular right-wing show that the FBI lied about the pipe bomb incident because the bureau did not want people to know it was an “inside job.”
Now as deputy director, Bongino is facing pressure from supporters and critics alike to release new details about the case.
What do we know about the suspect?
Video footage released by the FBI shows an unidentified person placing the pipe bombs near the two headquarters more than 16 hours before law enforcement found them.
The suspect is seen wearing a gray hoodie, Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers, a face mask, glasses, and gloves.
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Prior to the administration change in January, the FBI also unveiled a minor last-minute detail that the suspect’s height was about 5-foot-7.
Who found the pipe bombs?
A woman who is a Capitol Hill resident alerted a security guard that she spotted the first pipe bomb in an alley behind the RNC headquarters while she was out retrieving her laundry around 1 p.m.
Security footage showed her running from the area of the washer and dryer and notifying the guard. That set off a furious search that led officers at the DNC headquarters to discover a second pipe bomb there.
Were the pipe bombs active?
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) inspector general report published last year revealed the two explosive devices were “viable” and “could have detonated, causing innocent bystanders to be seriously injured or killed.”
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The bombs included one-hour timers. An FBI official said they did not believe the timers could have detonated the bombs since the time had already elapsed when the bombs were found, according to the DHS report.
That report and an investigative report released by House Republicans revealed that then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at one point came within feet of the pipe bomb by the DNC.
What leads has the FBI received?
The FBI has said it has received more than 600 tips, and it continues to offer a $500,000 reward for any successful leads.
The House Republicans’ report noted the FBI initially investigated a person who searched on the internet for “pipe bomb DC” and a person who had recently purchased the Nike shoes seen in the surveillance footage.
The report noted, however, that the pace of the FBI’s inquiry dropped off after about a month as a result of leads drying up.
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