Pipe Bombs Were Planted Night Before Capitol Riot, FBI Says

The two pipe bombs discovered at the Republican and Democratic national committees offices before the Capitol riot on Jan. 6 were planted the night before, Federal Bureau of Investigation officials said Friday, the Associated Press reported.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials said the bombs were placed between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 5, according to an investigation, though they were not found until the next day, the AP reported. It’s unclear if the bombs were related to the riot that occurred when supporters of former President Donald Trump forcefully entered the U.S. Capitol Building.

The two bombs were similarly made, each about a foot in length with wiring that appeared to be connected to a timer, officials told the AP. The contents of the bombs are still being investigated, though each contained a powder and some metal.

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The first bomb was found at the Republican National Committee around 12:45 p.m. and the second about 30 minutes later at the Democratic National Committee, the AP reported.

The assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington office, Steven D’Antuono, said locating the suspect was a top priority of the bureau, the AP reported. Officials have released grainy surveillance images of a potential suspect wearing a gray sweatshirt, a face mask, Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes and carrying a backpack.

Additional photographs of the bombs were released on Friday, the AP reported. Officials upped the reward for information about the case to $100,000.