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FBI issues new videos of suspect planting bombs prior to Capitol riot

Published : 10 Mar 2021, 00:37

  DF News Desk
File photo taken on Jan. 6, 2021 shows Capitol Police reacting to the protesters' invasion at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Pool via Xinhua.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Tuesday released new videos showing a person planting two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee the night before the Jan. 6 Capitol riot which left five people dead.

The suspect has been at large and the FBI is offering a 100,000-U.S.-dollar reward for useful tips, reported Xinhua.

"We need the public's help to identify the individual responsible for placing these pipe bombs, to ensure they will not harm themselves or anyone else," said Steven D'Antuono, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington field office.

"These pipe bombs were viable devices that could have been detonated, resulting in injury or death," D'Antuono said.

The FBI said the bombs were planted between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET Jan. 5. The newly released videos show the suspect walking on the sidewalk a few blocks from the Capitol, then stopping to put down the backpack before beginning to walk again.

Both devices, though did not go off, appeared fully functional, media reports said.