FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino made headlines this week by announcing that the bureau is “closing in” on suspects connected to the planting of two pipe bombs near the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021—an indication that the long-standing, four-year mystery may soon be resolved.
“The second we got in, I put a team on it and I said, ‘I want answers on this,’” Bongino told “Fox & Friends.” “And I’m pretty confident that we’re closing in on some suspects.”
Law enforcement discovered two pipe bombs near the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic National Committees just as thousands of protesters began converging on the Capitol a few blocks away to challenge the results of the 2020 election.
Since then, some within President Donald Trump’s base have questioned the timing of the pipe bomb incident and the apparent security lapses surrounding it, speculating that the Biden administration has not been fully transparent with the public about the details of the case.
Before taking office, Bongino was among the prominent voices promoting that view.
A former Secret Service agent and podcast host, Bongino previously told listeners of his popular radio show that the FBI misled the public about the pipe bomb incident, claiming the bureau was covering up what he described as an “inside job.”
Now serving as FBI deputy director, Bongino is under growing pressure from both supporters and critics to release new information about the case, Fox News reported.
Video footage released by the FBI shows an unidentified individual placing the pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters more than 16 hours before law enforcement discovered them.
The suspect was seen wearing a gray hoodie, Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers, a face mask, glasses, and gloves. In a minor detail revealed shortly before the change in administration in January, the FBI estimated the suspect’s height to be approximately 5 feet 7 inches.
A Capitol Hill resident discovered the first pipe bomb while retrieving her laundry around 1 p.m. and alerted a nearby security guard after spotting the device in an alley behind the RNC headquarters, Fox reported.
Security footage captured the woman fleeing the area of the washer and dryer to notify a nearby guard, prompting an urgent search. That response ultimately led officers to uncover a second pipe bomb near the DNC headquarters.
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) inspector general report that was published in 2024 revealed the two explosive devices were “viable” and “could have detonated, causing innocent bystanders to be seriously injured or killed.”
The pipe bombs were equipped with one-hour timers, though an FBI official stated they did not believe the timers were capable of triggering an explosion, as the devices were discovered well after the timers had expired, according to a DHS report.
That report, along with a separate investigation by House Republicans, revealed that then–Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were, at one point, within feet of the pipe bomb placed near the DNC headquarters.
The FBI has reported receiving over 600 tips in connection with the case and continues to offer a $500,000 reward for information leading to a breakthrough, Fox noted.
According to a report by House Republicans, the FBI initially focused on a suspect who had searched online for “pipe bomb DC” and another individual who had recently purchased the same model of Nike sneakers seen in the surveillance footage.
However, the report noted that the pace of the investigation slowed significantly after about a month, as promising leads began to dwindle.
Bongino said Thursday that his office uncovered evidence from former FBI Director James Comey’s tenure in a room that had been “hidden from us.”
“I wouldn’t call it hidden, but hidden from us at least and not mentioned to us, and then we found stuff in there and a lot of it’s from the Comey-era, and we are working our damndest right now to declassify,” Bongino told Fox News.