The FBI says two bombs left in the offices of the Republican and Democratic national committees, discovered just before thousands of pro-Trump protesters invaded the U.S. Capitol, were actually placed the night before
WASHINGTON – Two tubular bombs left in the offices of the Republican and Democratic national committees, discovered just before thousands of pro-Trump protesters invaded the U.S. Capitol, were placed the night before, federal officials said on Friday.
The FBI said the investigation revealed new information, including that explosive devices were placed outside the two buildings between 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm on January 5, the night before the riot. The devices were not located by law enforcement authorities until the next day.
It is not clear whether this means that the bombs were unrelated to the next day’s riot or were part of the riot planning. Both buildings are just a few blocks from the Capitol.
The incident has been of particular concern to law enforcement officials, as officials stepped up security preparations before the Senate’s impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. For weeks, investigators have been concerned about the potential for attacks on easy targets in the nation’s capital.
US Capitol Police and agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were called to the office of the Republican National Committee at around 12:45 pm on January 6. About 30 minutes later, while bomb agents and technicians were still investigating at the RNC, another call came to a second similar explosive device found at the nearby Democratic National Committee headquarters.
The two explosive devices were very similar, and both were about a foot long, with covers and wires that appeared to be attached to a stopwatch, two police officers familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Investigators are still examining the devices and their components to determine the specific compounds inside the tube pumps, but both appeared to contain unknown powder and some metal, officials said.
Officials were unable to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The FBI released additional photos of the explosive devices on Friday, including a photograph showing one of the devices placed under a bush. The authorities also increased the reward in the case to $ 100,000.
Steven D’Antuono, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington office, said earlier this week that locating the person who planted the bombs was a priority for federal agents, although officials have released only grainy images from security surveillance cameras. a potential suspect.
On Friday, the FBI said the person was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, face mask and yellow, black and gray Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers and was carrying a backpack.