FBI Increases Reward To $500K In Investigation Of Capitol Riot Pipe Bomb Suspect

The FBI has announced it will raise the reward to $500k for any information leading to the arrest of the suspect who placed two pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican national headquarters a day before the Capitol Riots on Jan. 6.

Surveillance footage from the night of Jan. 5, 2021, shows what appears to be a figure in a hooded sweatshirt, a pair of Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes with a yellow logo, a backpack, mask and gloves walking through Capitol Hill alleyways and placing two live pipe bombs.

The pipe bombs never detonated when they were discovered around 1 p.m. on Jan. 6. However, with the two-year anniversary of the riots approaching, the identity of the figure has yet to be revealed.

A "Seeking Information" flier from the FBI shares that "many of the components used to build the pipe bombs were widely available for purchase in-store and online," including "1x8-inch threaded galvanized pipes, end caps, kitchen timers, wires, metal clips, and homemade black powder."

The flier also states that the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington D.C. is also offering a reward of up to $10,000.

"For two years, a dedicated team of FBI agents, analysts, and law enforcement partners have been tirelessly reviewing evidence and digital media related to this case," said David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, told ABC News.

ABC also notes that the FBI has "conducted around 1,000 interviews, visited more than 1,200 residences and businesses, collected more than 39,000 videos, and assessed nearly 500 tips concerning the case.

"They would have exploded. They could have exploded," Steven D'Antuono, the former assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office, told ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas last year. "They are viable devices that could have gone off and exploded, causing a lot of serious injury or death."

The call for more information about the suspected pipe bomber comes as the Department of Justice released updated figures on its Capitol Riot criminal investigation. The report said that over 950 defendants had been arrested for participating in the riot, 484 have pleaded guilty and 40 have been found guilty. Out of the total arrested, more than 284 have been charged with assault and 99 for using a deadly or dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury to an officer.

Attorney General Merrick Garland acknowledged the second anniversary of the Capitol Riots saying in a statement Wednesday that the DOJ continues to prosecute individuals involved.

"Two years ago, the United States Capitol was attacked as lawmakers met to affirm the results of a presidential election," Garland said. "Perpetrators attacked police officers, targeted and assaulted members of the media, and interfered with a fundamental element of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next."