Capitol riot pipe bombs found at Dem and GOP national committees ‘put there before mob stormed Hill’
TWO pipe bombs found during the US Capitol protests had actually been placed there the night BEFORE, federal officials have said. The explosive devices were found at the offices of the Republican and Democrat national committees on January 6, as a mob breached the US Capitol while the Electoral College vote was counted. The insurrection […]
TWO pipe bombs found during the US Capitol protests had actually been placed there the night BEFORE, federal officials have said.
The explosive devices were found at the offices of the Republican and Democrat national committees on January 6, as a mob breached the US Capitol while the Electoral College vote was counted.
The insurrection claimed the lives of five people and resulted in several life-threatening injuries as police attempted to contain the ruckus outside the building.
On Friday, the FBI said they had uncovered information claiming the devices were placed outside the buildings between 7.30pm and 8.30pm on January 5.
Both buildings are within a few blocks of the US Capitol which saw the violent protests unfold.
However, the devices were not located by law enforcement officials until 12.45pm the next day.
It is not clear whether that means the pipe bombs were unrelated to the next days riot or were part of the riot planning.
At the time, US Capitol Police officers and agents from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were called to the Republican offices on January 6.
About 30 minutes later, another call came in for a similar explosive device found at the Democratic National Committee headquarters nearby.
The FBI said the two explosives were similar in design.
Both were around a foot long with end caps and wiring that appeared to be attached to a timer, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Bomb technicians used water cannons to blast the devices and break them apart to render them harmless, ABC news reports.
U.S. Capitol Police confirmed that the devices could have caused “great harm.”
“The USCP Hazardous Materials Response Team determined that both devices were, in fact, hazardous and could cause great harm to public safety,” the USCP said in statement.
And the FBI also released images of the explosives on Friday, with one showing a device placed under a bush near the GOP building.
Officials have also increased a reward in connection to the case to $100,000.
FBI assitant director Steven DAntuono said earlier this week that locating the person who planted the pipe bombs was still a top priority for federal agents.
However, officials have only released grainy surveillance camera images of a potential suspect.
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Earlier this month FBI confirmed the person in the footage wore a gray hooded sweatshirt, a face mask and Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers in yellow, black and gray, and had been carrying a backpack.
Meanwhile, the FBI has been actively arresting Trump supporters who allegedly advocated and participated in the deadly US Capitol riot on January 6.
So far, authorities have taken over 100 people into custody and have over 200 cases open and under investigation.