Latest news with #pipebombs
Fox News
3 days ago
- General
- Fox News
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino claims bureau ‘closing in' on suspects who planted Jan. 6 DC pipe bombs
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino made headlines this week when he revealed the bureau was "closing in" on suspects involved in planting two pipe bombs near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, a sign that the bureau may soon solve the nagging, four-year mystery. "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 the two pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic National Committees' headquarters around the same time that thousands of rioters a few blocks away began to descend on the Capitol in protest of the 2020 election results. A faction of President Donald Trump's base has since raised questions about the timing of the pipe bomb incident and security failures surrounding it and speculated that the Biden administration was not forthright to the public about the facts of the case. Prior to being sworn in, Bongino was a leading voice perpetuating that notion. A former Secret Service agent and podcast host, Bongino told listeners of his popular right-wing show that the FBI lied about the pipe bomb incident because the bureau did not want people to know it was an "inside job." Now as deputy director, Bongino is facing pressure from supporters and critics alike to release new details about the case. Video footage released by the FBI shows an unidentified person placing the pipe bombs near the two headquarters more than 16 hours before law enforcement found them. The suspect is seen wearing a gray hoodie, Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers, a face mask, glasses, and gloves. Prior to the administration change in January, the FBI also unveiled a minor last-minute detail that the suspect's height was about 5-foot-7. A woman who is a Capitol Hill resident alerted a security guard that she spotted the first pipe bomb in an alley behind the RNC headquarters while she was out retrieving her laundry around 1 p.m. Security footage showed her running from the area of the washer and dryer and notifying the guard. That set off a furious search that led officers at the DNC headquarters to discover a second pipe bomb there. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) inspector general report published last year revealed the two explosive devices were "viable" and "could have detonated, causing innocent bystanders to be seriously injured or killed." The bombs included one-hour timers. An FBI official said they did not believe the timers could have detonated the bombs since the time had already elapsed when the bombs were found, according to the DHS report. That report and an investigative report released by House Republicans revealed that then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at one point came within feet of the pipe bomb by the DNC. The FBI has said it has received more than 600 tips, and it continues to offer a $500,000 reward for any successful leads. The House Republicans' report noted the FBI initially investigated a person who searched on the internet for "pipe bomb DC" and a person who had recently purchased the Nike shoes seen in the surveillance footage. The report noted, however, that the pace of the FBI's inquiry dropped off after about a month as a result of leads drying up.
Fox News
5 days ago
- General
- Fox News
FBI 'closing in' on suspects in case of DC pipe bombs placed on eve of Jan 6
The FBI is ramping up its investigation into pipe bombs planted in Washington, D.C. on the eve of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots in 2021. One top official is now suggesting that after four years, the bureau is getting close to a major break in the case. "I want answers on this, and I'm pretty confident that we're closing in on some suspects," FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino told "Fox & Friends" Thursday, noting the case is a top priority. The FBI renewed its focus on the unsolved case earlier this year. In January, investigators released new video footage showing the person who planted the bombs outside the headquarters of both the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee in Washington, D.C. Bongino criticized what he described as a lack of attention to the case during the Biden administration, despite the broader focus on the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, for which over 1,000 people were arrested and convicted. "We were told by partisan actors out there, this was the insurrection, the world was [going to] fall apart, and no one seemed to show any interest in this case," he argued, adding that he and FBI Director Kash Patel have made the pipe bomb investigation a priority for their department. Besides the video footage, in January the FBI also released more details about the suspect's physical characteristics. They believe the individual to be about 5-foot, 7-inches and to have worn a grey hoodie, face mask, black gloves and Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes. Investigators claim they've followed hundreds of leads, reviewed thousands of video files, and conducted over 1,000 interviews in the case. Bongino emphasized the importance of public involvement and said social media is a vital tool for generating new case leads. "Every time I put a tweet out, we get tips. We got a fascinating tip on one of these cases. One of the three," Bongino said, referring to three high-profile cases: the 2021 pipe bombs, the 2022 leak of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision on abortion and the cocaine discovered in the White House in 2023. "I don't [want to] say which one, but I'm pretty confident that we're going to close out one of them, hopefully, soon." Although no one was injured in the 2021 pipe bomb incident, authorities say the attack could have been deadly. Then Vice President-elect Kamala Harris was inside the DNC's offices when the pipe bomb was discovered. Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also passed by the bomb before it was discovered and safely removed by authorities. The FBI is offering a $500,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- BBC News
Londonderry: Noel Logan guilty of possessing pipe bombs
A man has been found guilty of possessing pipe bombs which exploded outside homes in Londonderry between 2017 and Logan, 37, from Nelson Drive in the city had denied three counts of having the devices with intent to endanger life or cause serious Belfast Crown Court on Friday, Mr Justice Fowler said: "I am satisfied the defendant handled the three devices but I do not find that he deployed them.''Logan will be sentenced next month following the completion of a Probation Board report. DNA extracted The court had heard that, following a police investigation, Logan was arrested in December 2020, charged and remanded in custody at the height of the Covid-19 was the prosecution's case that Logan's DNA was found on all three devices which had exploded outside homes in the Waterside between July 2017 and September DNA was extracted from tape found attached to all three remnants of the devices were made safe by Army Technical Officers before being removed for science experts reported that in two of the cases there was a one in a billion chance that the DNA found on the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) did not match Logan. Following the examination of a third device, the expert said there was a one in 1.7 million chance it did not belong to the the trial, the prosecution also stated Logan lived less than a mile and a half from the three targeted his defence, Logan claimed he had "no involvement in any way whatsoever with the pipe bomb attacks'', and that he had never seen a pipe bomb "never mind touch one''.He claimed there was an innocent explanation for how his DNA was found on tape attached to the defendant alleged he used the tape to attach flags to lamp posts in the Waterside in the run up to 12 July celebrations, and the tape roll would be thrown into a box after they had finished. 'Crude devices' He claimed someone else who had access to the box could have used the tape roll in the construction of the pipe court heard the ''crude devices'' consisted of copper piping up to 500 millimetres in length, tape, small gun propellant and were fitted with ball bearings and nails, which acted as shrapnel when the device they contained low odour explosives, Mr Justice Fowler said they were "extremely effective anti-personnel devices capable of inflicting serious injury or death''."I am satisfied the defendant had the necessary intention to cause serious injury or to enable another to do so.''Mr Justice Fowler remanded Logan into custody.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
Trial date for man accused of weapons violations moved
SMITHFIELD, Va. (WAVY) — The Smithfield man found in possession of more than 150 pipe bombs will not go to trial this month. Brad Spafford, 36, was arrested in December, and when FBI agents searched his property, they found what they described as the largest seizure of finished explosive devices in their history. FBI: Homemade explosives seizure at Isle of Wight farm largest in its history Spafford was charged with a federal weapons violation and a single count of possession of an unregistered explosive device. Spafford's case was originally scheduled to go to trial May 26, but Thursday, District Judge Arenda Wright Allen signed off on a joint motion to continue to a later date. The attorneys in the case say they need more time to go over evidence and are still waiting for lab analysis, according to the filing. The document also mentions discussion of a pre-trial resolution of the matter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Irish Times
07-05-2025
- Irish Times
Twenty pipe bombs seized by gardaí in Co Louth
Twenty pipe bombs were found by gardaí in Ardee, Co Louth on Wednesday. The explosives were discovered following an intelligence-led operation linked to the seizure of cannabis valued at €190,000 on April 29th. A cordon was established around the find and the Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team attended the scene. The EOD team examined the suspect devices and subsequently made them safe. The devices were removed from the area for further examination and the cordon lifted. READ MORE Meanwhile, in a separate operation, gardaí targeted a criminal gang suspected of being involved in organised prostitution and money laundering with a series of searches. More than 100 gardaí conducted the searches across the Greater Dublin Area and Kildare and Meath on Wednesday morning. Two men were arrested on foot of court bench warrants and a third man is being detained in relation to the sale and supply of controlled drugs. The operation was led by detectives from the serious crime unit based at the Bridewell Garda station in Dublin, supported by the Dublin crime response team (DCRT), the Garda national protective services bureau and the garda national economic crime bureau. In a statement gardaí said: 'An Garda Síochána regularly conduct targeted operations to safeguard individuals in the sex trade, investigate organised prostitution, and prosecute offenders particularly those involved in controlling, organising or directing the offering of sexual services for profit.'
