FBI releases new footage of suspect in Washington pipe bomb case

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released new security footage of a suspect that they believe planted explosives outside the Democratic and Republican party headquarters in Washington, DC, on January 5 – the night before the deadly assault on the US Capitol.

The man is suspected of planting the pipe bombs, which were discovered and defused the following day.

The video, published on the FBI’s official YouTube channel on Tuesday, shows several angles of surveillance footage of the suspect as he walks along streets in the Capitol Hill neighbourhood of the city.

Dressed in dark pants, a light-coloured hoodie and gloves, the man’s face is obscured by glasses and a mask as he carries a bag in one hand.

“We still believe there is someone out there who has information they may not have realised was significant until now,” Steven D’Antuono, assistant director of the FBI’s Washington office said, asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect.

“These pipe bombs were viable devices that could have been detonated, resulting in serious injury or death,” he said.

The FBI had already released still photos of the suspect – including ones that showed identifying details of his Nike sneakers – offering $100,000 for any information leading to his arrest.

The bombs never detonated and may have been placed as a distraction to keep police away when a pro-Trump mob breached the building where lawmakers were voting to certify Joe Biden’s election victory.

“You can’t tell whether it’s a man or a woman, you can’t see the face but they do have distinctive brand footwear and the FBI is hoping someone might be able to identify them,” said Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher, reporting from Washington DC.

“They’re also saying ‘think about January this year, was anyone near you buying a couple a couple of backpacks, did they express any interest in how you would build a bomb, did they go to a hardware store’… all of this as far as the FBI is concerned could be important.”

More than 300 people have been charged in connection with the deadly riots at the Capitol, which killed five people.