Police arrest suspect in DC pipe bomb incident, ending years-long manhunt

A man has been arrested in connection to two pipe bombs placed outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national committees on the eve of the 6 January Capitol riot nearly five years ago.

The arrest was confirmed on Thursday by two sources familiar with the case to BBC’s US partner, CBS News. He is expected to face charges in DC federal court later Thursday, thought the charges are unclear.

It ends a long-running manhunt in the case, which involved an extensive investigation and a $500,000 (£375,000) reward.

The pipe bombs were safely deactivated and did not explode.

Officials have not yet commented on the identity of the suspect, or what led to the arrest.

Earlier this year, the FBI released CCTV footage of the alleged suspect. It appears to show an individual with a backpack, a light grey hooded sweater, placing something near a bench outside the Democratic National Committee building in Washington. The person is shown later walking to place the second bomb.

Both were placed the night before the 6 January riot, and were discovered as rioters began to storm the Capitol.

At the time, US senators were meeting in the Capitol to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, which Joe Biden had won, defeating Donald Trump.

Trump, who was president at the time, addressed a large crowd of supporters at a “Save America” rally near the White House, where he urged them to march “peacefully” to the Capitol, but also made unsubstantiated claims of massive voter fraud.

The crowd numbered between 2,000 and 2,500 people, and contained members of far-right groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. Many were carrying weapons.

Hundreds then forced their way into the Capitol building through windows and doors, overwhelming police. It took law enforcement almost four hours to restore order.

As the riot began, a passerby discovered the two pipe bombs, police had said at the time. The items allegedly left behind included pipes, wires, kitchen timers, and homemade black powder, according to the FBI.

According to a report obtained by the BBC’s US partner CBS News, the bombs had one method of detonation: a 60-minute kitchen timer. But they ultimately did not explode for unknown reasons.

Police had been searching for a suspect ever since.

Many of those convicted or charged in relation to the riot have since been pardoned by Trump earlier this year, shortly after he took office for his second term in January.

Pardons or commutations were issued for more than 1,500 people. Trump also ordered the US Department of Justice to drop all pending cases against other suspects.

At the time, Trump referred to the accused and convicted as “the hostages”, and said that their lives had been “destroyed”.

“What they’ve done to these people is outrageous. There’s rarely been anything like it in the history of our country,” he had said.