FBI arrests suspected Washington, DC pipe bomber after 5-year probe

The FBI detained a suspect in the investigation into pipe bombs that were left outside the Washington headquarters of the Democratic and Republican national committees on the night before the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the US Capitol, according to multiple reports published Thursday.

Many of the details on the suspect were not immediately clear, but the development comes after a nearly five-year probe into a case that has long been shrouded in mystery.

Authorities had for years solicited the public's assistance in identifying the suspect, offering a $500,000 reward and publishing security camera photos and video of an individual clad in a gray hoodie, gloves, and a mask.

The FBI released new video in October that laid out a timeline and the suspect's route as the individual walked through the Capitol Hill neighborhood before placing a bomb near a bench outside the Democratic National Committee building in the early evening.

The suspect then took a circuitous route to the Republican National Committee building, depositing another bomb in an alley near the headquarters, according to the FBI.

CNN reported, based on two anonymous sources, that a man was arrested Thursday morning, but it is not yet clear where the arrest took place. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.