The FBI on Thursday morning arrested a suspect believed to have planted pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic party headquarters prior to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, MS NOW reported.
The arrest is a massive breakthrough in the nearly five-year federal investigation into who placed the bombs, which did not detonate.
The suspect has been charged with setting the bombs by the parties’ headquarters in Washington, D.C., four people with knowledge of the development told MS NOW.
A law enforcement official said that police have not yet determined a motive, MS NOW reported.
But the suspect has been linked to statements that show support for an anarchist ideology, two people briefed on the arrest told the news outlet.
The FBI did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
As recently as late October, the bureau was offering a $500,000 reward for information that would help authorities identify the Capitol Hill bombing suspect.
Surveillance video released by the FBI shows that around 7:54 p.m. ET on Jan. 5, 2021, a person wearing a face mask, black gloves and a gray hoodie placed a bomb outside the Democratic National Committee building.
About 22 minutes later, the same person appeared to place a second bomb by the Republican National Committee’s offices, according to the footage.
The incident occurred hours before a mob of President Donald Trump‘s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers prepared to confirm former President Joe Biden‘s 2020 election win.
The timing of the attempted crime, and the elusiveness of the perpetrator, have made the case a hotbed of conspiracy theories.
Last month, a conservative news site named a former U.S. Capitol Police officer as a possible match for the pipe bomber, based largely on a “gait analysis.” The FBI poured cold water on the story, and the accused officer cleared her name by providing a video of her playing with her puppies at the time the bombs were placed, CBS News reported.
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