FBI seeks new leads on suspect who placed pipe bombs outside DNC, RNC buildings in 2021

The FBI has released new information about an unknown suspect who planted two pipe bombs nearly four years ago near the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national committee headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The devices were discovered and disarmed on the eve of the Jan. 6 Capital assault in 2021, but the suspect has so far managed to elude identification and capture.

Now, the FBI has announced it is renewing its investigation.

The federal law enforcement agency on Thursday released new video of the suspect placing one of the bombs near the Democratic National Committee in the hopes that the public can help identify who the person is. A reward of up to $500,000 remains available for information leading to the suspect’s arrest and conviction.

The FBI's announcement was made within hours of a report from congressional Republicans condemning investigators for having yet to make an arrest in the planned attack. The report also criticized alleged "security failures" associated with the pipe bombs.

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Pipe bombs placed outside DNC, RNC buildings in 2021

Authorities have said the pipe bombs were placed at the DNC and RNC headquarters on the night before a mob of Donald Trump's supporters breached the Capitol in a deadly attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Investigators have since spent years hunting for the suspect, whose blurry images were captured by surveillance cameras on Jan. 5, 2021 in a Capitol Hill neighborhood. Photos previously released by the FBI show the suspect dressed in a gray hooded sweatshirt with a face mask.

The person can also be seen wearing distinctive Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes in yellow, black, and gray.

While the bombs did not detonate, the FBI has said the devices could have seriously injured or killed innocent bystanders.

Congressional Republicans blast FBI investigation

The FBI's latest announcement on the case – the first major update in about two years – came just hours after congressional Republicans released a report critical of the agency's investigation.

The interim staff report released Thursday by the House Administration and Judiciary committees lambasted the FBI for neglecting "to provide substantive updates to Congress about the status of the investigation." While the FBI identified multiple persons of interest, issued search warrants, reviewed hours of security camera footage and analyzed the components of the pipe bombs, the report claims that "Americans scarcely have any detail about who planted the bombs or why."

"The devices placed many lawmakers, staff, law enforcement, and residents in harm’s way," according to the report. "The failure to identify, apprehend, and prosecute the bomber ultimately makes all Americans less secure"

FBI releases new video, solicits public tips about pipe bomb suspect

Investigators have interviewed about 1,000 people in connection with the probe, vetted 600 tips, and examined 39,000 video files, said David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office.

“The tips the FBI has received so far have helped us advance the investigation, but they have not led us to identify the suspect," Sundberg said in a statement. “We urge anyone who may have previously hesitated to come forward, or who may not have realized they had important information, to contact the FBI.

The FBI posted the new information on its Seeking Information webpage. The new video depicts the suspect sitting on a bench, removing what law enforcement says is a pipe bomb from a bag and placing it under a bench outside the Democratic National Committee building near the Capitol.

The FBI also released updated maps of the route the suspect walked the night the bombs were placed and closeup images of the distinctive Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes the suspect wore.

The FBI also, for the first time, says the suspect is estimated to be about 5 feet, 7 inches tall.

Those with information can call the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

Contributing: Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FBI releases new video of pipe bombs placed ahead of Jan. 6 attack