‘Serious Concerns’ Emerge Over Jan. 6 Pipe Bomb Response: Report

An unknown individual placed two pipe bombs in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington on Jan. 5, 2021. FBI via The Epoch Times

Congressional investigators in a report released this week said that they have “serious concerns” regarding how law enforcement officials responded to two alleged pipe bombs that were placed a day before the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach.

The report released by House Subcommittee on Oversight Chairman Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) on Monday largely faulted the Democrat-dominated House subcommittee to investigate the Capitol breach, accusing it of deleting records and interviews, not turning over recordings, suppressing evidence, and questioned the U.S. Capitol Police response into the pipe bombs found near the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee buildings on Jan. 6.

“Despite the threat the pipe bombs posed and the possible role they played in diverting resources away from the Capitol, the Select Committee invested almost no resources into investigating the pipe bombs. In fact, the [Jan. 6] Select Committee’s 845-page report, astonishingly, only referenced the pipe bombs five times in passing,” the report stated.

Based on reviews of security footage, Capitol Police radio transcripts, and documents, the Republican-led subcommittee wrote that it has “serious concerns about the law enforcement response” to the pipe bombs. The subcommittee members were referring to law enforcement’s immediate response on Jan. 6 when the alleged devices were located.

Their evidence suggests that various law enforcement officials “failed to properly secure and maintain a perimeter around the pipe bombs” and “allowed pedestrians and vehicular traffic to cross within feet of the explosive devices.” Officials also allegedly allowed trains to travel “along a bridge adjacent to the DNC, placing civilians within close proximity to one of the viable devices,” they wrote.

Law enforcement officials relayed “inaccurate information” over U.S. Capitol police radio channels, it said. That allowed law enforcement officials and even civilians to enter the security perimeter around the bombs, the report added.

The report also faulted officials for allegedly failing “to prevent contamination of the bomb scene after disruption and prior to evidence collection by allowing vehicular and pedestrian traffic to enter the crime scene.”

“Specifically, effective oversight must ensure that the next time viable pipe bombs or explosive devices are found on Capitol grounds,” that section of the report concluded, “law enforcement personnel are prepared to respond appropriately and in accordance with standard operating procedures.”

Capitol Police Assistant Chief Sean Gallagher in written testimony released Tuesday said that the U.S. Capitol Police bomb squad “remains one of the largest and most capable squads in the region,” adding that there have been changes to how it handles such devices in the future. Those changes, he said, “will ensure that the Department is even better prepared to respond to any similar incidents.”

Mr. Gallagher also wrote that the FBI took possession of the pipe bombs after the scene was cleared, adding that it has been the lead agency investigating the case.

Other Questions

One of the largest remaining mysteries surrounding Jan. 6 is the identity of the person who placed the alleged pipe bombs a day before Jan. 6. Last year, authorities increased the reward to up to $500,000 for information leading to the person’s arrest. It remains unclear whether there was a connection between the pipe bombs and the Capitol incident.

Investigators have spent thousands of hours over the last three years doing interviews and combing through evidence and tips from the public, said David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office.

“We urge anyone who may have previously hesitated to come forward or who may not have realized they had important information to contact us and share anything relevant,” he said earlier this year, reported The Associated Press.

Officials said that the explosive devices were placed outside the two buildings between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2021, but officers didn’t find them until the next day. Authorities were called to the Republican National Committee’s office around 12:45 p.m. on Jan. 6. Shortly after, a call came in for a similar explosive device found at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. The bombs were rendered safe, and no one was hurt.

Video released by the FBI shows a person in a gray hooded sweatshirt, a face mask, and gloves appearing to place one of the explosives under a bench outside the DNC and separately shows the person walking in an alley near the RNC before the bomb was placed there. The person wore black and light gray Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers with a yellow logo.

A suspect in the placement of two devices that the FBI said were pipe bombs is seen in Washington on Jan. 5, 2021. On the right is a closeup photograph of one of the devices. FBI via The Epoch Times

As no suspect has been named, Monday’s report faulted the FBI for not providing enough updates on the investigation. That’s despite the suspect’s appearance on a number of security cameras, more than 800 FBI interviews, and 300 tips, they noted.

“Furthermore, the FBI has failed to provide substantive updates on the investigation despite numerous requests from congressional committees, leaving Congress concerned about the status of the investigation,” Republicans on the subcommittee wrote.