F.B.I. officials on Thursday released new details of their investigation into the still-unidentified suspect believed to have placed pipe bombs in Washington the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, hoping to spur tips that might solve a lingering mystery.
The suspect, wearing a mask, a gray hooded sweatshirt, dark pants and Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers, put two homemade bombs outside the Democratic and Republican national party headquarters the night before the formal congressional ceremony acknowledging Joseph R. Biden Jr. had won the 2020 election.
Neither device exploded, but their discovery that morning added to the fear and confusion on a day when a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, briefly delaying the certification of the results.
Now, four years later, with investigators still uncertain of the suspect’s gender, the F.B.I. has offered video from a new angle of the suspect planting a bomb near a bench outside the Democratic headquarters.
Investigators also say the suspect’s height has been estimated at 5-foot-7. There is a $500,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. The bureau refrained from releasing a height estimate until now because officials did not want to dissuade any potential tipsters, since witnesses often significantly err when guessing someone’s height.
“We have never stopped working” the case, said David Sundberg, an F.B.I. assistant director in charge who leads the F.B.I.’s Washington field office, adding, “The bureau has both a long memory and a long reach, and we fully intend to work this case to its ultimate conclusion.”
To determine the suspect’s height, F.B.I. agents used a technique called photogrammetry — overlaying the footage against a livestream of the same camera, and using a height scale in the livestream to assess the suspect’s stature.
The newly released surveillance video captures the suspect largely from behind as a person carrying a backpack walked up to a bench at night and sat down for about a minute. In that time, the person pulled a pipe bomb out of the backpack and placed it on the ground near the bench, then got up and quickly walks away.
Video of that same sequence of movements, but from a different angle, were previously released.
Some lawmakers have questioned how the F.B.I. failed so far to identify a suspect in such a high-profile case, particularly in the digital age. Officials say the investigative hurdles have been significant, including the suspect’s well-covered face, which was typical during the coronavirus pandemic, and a series of video images that are far from perfect.
“There have been difficulties in working this case,” Mr. Sundberg said. “It’s very hard to recognize someone from the video.” He also noted the 15-hour lag from when the bombs were planted Jan. 5 to when they were discovered the next day.
In the early days of the pipe bomb investigation, the F.B.I. pursued a flurry of leads, but each led to a dead end, according to a report about the inquiry released separately Thursday by House Republicans.
Agents obtained a trove of location data from cellphones and digital advertising services, tried to find people who bought devices similar to those used in making of the bombs and issued subpoenas to 18 vendors that sold the type of sneakers the suspect was wearing.
One of those people briefly caught the interest of investigators when it turned out they worked “in the area of the crime,” according to the House report, which was largely based on internal F.B.I. records.
Another person who came under suspicion for a time had conducted an online search for the words “pipe bomb DC” after the bombs had been placed but before law enforcement had discovered them. A third early person of interest, the report said, had taken photos of the area behind the Republican National Committee headquarters where one of the bombs was planted.
Four years later, the F.B.I. said its best hope to crack the case lies with the public.
“I do believe that it’s very likely that other people know of or about the suspect in this case,” Mr. Sundberg said. “Maybe this new release will trigger something for someone watching.”
The F.B.I. asks that anyone with information call 1-800-CALL-FBI or go online to tips.fbi.gov.
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