FBI: pipe bombs found near US Capitol planted night before riot

The new information raises concerns as law enforcement officials step up security ahead of former president Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial

Meanwhile “QAnon Shaman” Jacob Chansley, whose image was widely circulated, pleaded not guilty, and two Proud Boys members were indicted

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FBI investigations revealed that the explosive devices were placed on the evening of January 5, the night before the Capitol riot. Photo: Reuters

Published: 1:06pm, 30 Jan 2021Updated: 8:39pm, 30 Jan 2021

Two pipe bombs left at the offices of the Republican and Democratic national committees, discovered just before thousands of pro-Trump rioters stormed the US Capitol, were actually placed the night before, federal officials said on Friday.

The FBI said the investigation had revealed new information, including that the explosive devices were placed outside the two buildings between 7.30pm and 8.30pm on January 5, the night before the riot. The devices were not located by law enforcement until the next day.

It is not clear whether that means the pipe bombs were unrelated to the next day’s riot or were part of the riot planning. Both buildings are within a few blocks of the Capitol.

The incident has been particularly concerning for law enforcement as officials step up security preparations ahead of the Senate’s impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump. For weeks, investigators have been worried about the potential for attacks on soft targets in the nation’s capital.

US Capitol Police and agents from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were called to the Republican National Committee’s office around 12.45pm on January 6. About 30 minutes later, as the agents and bomb technicians were still investigating at the RNC, another call came in for a second, similar explosive device found at the Democratic National Committee headquarters nearby.