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FBI offers $500,000 reward after pipe bombs found near DNC and RNC in Washington
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Summary
The FBI renewed its appeal for tips after surveillance showed an unidentified person place pipe bombs near the Democratic and Republican National Committee offices on Jan. 5, 2021, offering up to $500,000 for information leading to arrest and conviction. The agency released a timeline and suspect description.
The FBI on Jan. 5, 2021 renewed a call for public tips and offered up to $500,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person who placed pipe bombs near the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee offices in Washington, D.C.
The announcement described a timeline based on surveillance footage that first shows the suspect at about 7:34 p.m. near 1st Street and North Carolina Avenue SE and says the first device was placed at a bench outside the DNC headquarters at approximately 7:54 p.m. The agency said the person later appeared on camera near Rumsey Court and placed a second device at about 8:16 p.m., and was last seen about 8:18 p.m.
An FBI spokesperson provided a physical description and identifying details to aid the investigation: the suspect is estimated to be about 5 feet 7 inches tall, wore a face mask, a gray hooded sweatshirt and black gloves, used a backpack to transport the devices and was wearing Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes that are black and gray with a yellow Nike logo. "Fewer than 25,000 of these shoes were sold between August 2018 and January 2021," the spokesperson said.
"A reward of up to $500,000 is available for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for this dangerous attempt to harm innocent people," the FBI said. The agency asked anyone with information to call its hotline at 1-800 or to submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov; tips can remain anonymous.
The statement traced the suspect's movements in detail, noting a break in video coverage around 8 p.m. and highlighting behavior recorded at the DNC bench, including the suspect sitting for several minutes before placing the first device. The FBI said those details, including clothing and the distinctive shoe model, are intended to help members of the public identify potential witnesses or records (for example, purchase or surveillance footage) that could aid the inquiry.
The FBI did not provide a name for the spokesperson issuing the statement and did not announce any arrests. The agency asked anyone who may have seen the person or noticed relevant footage or transaction records to come forward via the hotline or tips.fbi.gov.
The FBI release lists locations tied to the timeline — 1st Street, North Carolina Avenue SE, New Jersey Avenue, D Street, South Capitol Street, C Street and Rumsey Court — and reiterates the reward and reporting options as the principal avenues for the public to assist the investigation.
