The Federal Bureau of Investigation has released new, higher-quality surveillance footage showing the individual who placed pipe bombs near the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Republican National Committee (RNC) in Washington, D.C., on January 5, 2021.
The updated footage, published on October 22, 2025, offers previously unreleased video clips and longer sequences that show the suspect’s movements more clearly.
The release marks the latest effort by the FBI to solve one of the longest-running unsolved cases connected to the January 6 events.
Authorities confirmed that the reward for information leading to the suspect’s identification, arrest, and conviction has been increased to $500,000.
Authorities confirmed that the reward for information leading to the suspect’s identification, arrest, and conviction has been increased to $500,000.
“The FBI is still offering a $500,000 reward for information that helps identify the person who placed pipe bombs at the offices of the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee on January 5, 2021,” the Bureau announced.
The suspect is seen in the video wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, gloves, and a mask, carrying a backpack that investigators believe contained the devices.
The person was captured walking through several Capitol Hill neighborhoods between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on the evening of January 5.
Both pipe bombs were found the following day outside the DNC and RNC headquarters. They were safely neutralized before they could detonate, and no injuries occurred.
FBI analysts determined that the devices were constructed with the chemical components of black powder and equipped with kitchen timers.
Even after reviewing thousands of leads and interviewing hundreds of witnesses, investigators have yet to identify the suspect responsible.
Deputy Director of the FBI Dan Bongino reaffirmed the Bureau’s commitment to finding the individual behind the attempted attack.
“If you have information regarding this critical investigation, please call 1-800-CALL-FBI,” Bongino said. “Even the smallest tip could be the key to closing this case.”
The FBI says it has processed over 1,000 interviews and reviewed more than 43,000 video files tied to the ongoing investigation.
In recent weeks, new information has emerged after FBI Director Kash Patel transmitted laboratory analyses and key witness interviews to Congress.
Those documents, obtained by Just the News, show that both bombs contained explosive components but did not include the term “viable” in the FBI’s laboratory report.
This detail has raised new questions about whether the devices were capable of detonating or if they served another purpose that night.
The timeline has also come under scrutiny, as both bombs were found roughly 16 hours after the FBI claimed they had been planted outside party headquarters.
Director Patel confirmed that all materials related to the case have been turned over to congressional oversight committees for further review.
Deputy Director Bongino said the Bureau would continue pursuing every lead until the case is solved. “This investigation remains active, and our agents are committed to following the evidence wherever it leads,” he stated.
The enhanced footage, now circulating on social media and the FBI’s official website, gives the public the clearest view yet of the suspect’s route through Washington.
Officials hope that viewers may recognize the person’s movements, clothing, or backpack and come forward with identifying information.
Security experts note that the case stands as one of the most complex domestic investigations in recent FBI history.
The renewed attention, combined with the $500,000 reward, could finally generate the tip that has eluded investigators for nearly five years.
The FBI continues to urge anyone with information to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a confidential tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
It is false that these photos are from an accident in which 34 people died: they are out of context. The images are from two events that occurred in different places and on different dates, and they follow a pattern of misinformation and clickbait.
It is false that two photos depicting what is supposed to be the same accident are from the same incident and that this “just occurred,” resulting in 34 fatalities, as stated in the text accompanying a post shared on Facebook. The images are from two different events, are not current, and are from different countries.
“National mourning just occurred for a massive accident that leaves 34 dead…” is all that the text accompanying the photos says. In the upper image, there appears to be a yellow bus crushed by a truck, with firefighters working at the scene surrounded by people. In the lower photo, several people watch as a bus burns, positioned across a multi-lane road.
In the first comment, there is a link that, in theory, leads to the video with more details about the accident. But in reality, it leads to a website that discusses a supposed remedy for weight loss.
Honduras and Venezuela
A reverse image search on Yandex of the photo of the yellow bus reveals that the crash actually occurred in Honduras in February 2017. That is, more than seven years ago. Fox News covered the incident, which resulted in 15 fatalities, and in the caption of the photograph illustrating the information, taken from a different angle of the same event, the name of the photographer is provided: Fernando Antonio, for the American news agency AP.
In an inquiry in the photo section of that outlet, we found the photograph used in the publication circulating on social media to announce the supposed accident that “just occurred.” The information describing it reads: “Emergency personnel respond to an accident involving a cargo truck and a bus on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on Sunday, February 5, 2017.”
“The cargo truck crashed into the bus on the road outside the capital of Honduras on Sunday, killing more than a dozen people, authorities said,” it adds.
Regarding the second image, which shows a burning bus, a reverse image search on Google Lens returns several posts that place the photograph on the outskirts of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, in mid-December 2023. That is, eight months ago. According to reports, at least 30 people died.
While it is true that the text of the Facebook post does not specify where the event occurred, it is logical that this “massive accident that leaves 34” dead would show it.
As for the link that, in theory, leads to the video that would show the accident, it opens a webpage that supposedly offers a remedy for weight loss.
At elDetector, we have verified posts that falsely alerted about accidents and directed readers to click a link that would lead them to complete information, but instead took them to a website that had nothing to do with it. This is known as clickbait and aims to attract visits to a website through eye-catching text. Visits that can be converted into economic income.
Conclusion
It is false that the two photographs shared together, showing two traffic accidents, are from the same incident that “just occurred” and resulted in 34 deaths, as stated in a social media post. One of the images is from a crash in Honduras in 2017, and the other is from an accident in Venezuela at the end of 2023, so both are out of context. Read here how we choose and assign our labels at elDetector.
elDetector operates independently with funding from institutions that you can see here, which have no decision-making power over our content. Our editorial line is autonomous.