Name: FBI makes arrest in D.C. pipe bombs plot that preceded Jan. 6 riots
Uploaded: 2025-12-04T15:11:48.236Z
Duration: 3 min 57 s
Description: The FBI has arrested a suspect in connection with the pipe bomb investigation surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots, sources tell CBS News. Scott MacFarlane reports.

The FBI has arrested a suspect in connection with the pipe bomb investigation surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots, sources tell CBS News. Scott MacFarlane reports.

Washington

The FBI has arrested a suspect from Virginia in connection with the planting of pipe bombs at the Democratic and Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., on the night before the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. The devices, which did not detonate, were discovered as rioters approached the Capitol, diverting police attention at a critical moment.

Authorities have not yet released the suspect's name, but court filings are expected soon. The case has been the subject of widespread conspiracy theories and speculation, and officials hope the arrest will provide clarity regarding the motive behind the attempted attack.

FBI makes arrest in D.C. pipe bombs plot that preceded Jan. 6 riots

All right, this is CBS News 24-7 Mornings. I'm Vladimir Duterte. We're going to begin this morning with some breaking news. The FBI has arrested a suspect in connection with the planting of pipe bombs at the DNC and RNC offices in Washington, D.C. the night before the January 6th riot. I want to get straight to CBS News Justice correspondent Scott McFarlane, who's covering this for us and has been from the beginning. So Scott, what are we learning this morning? Multiple sources tell me and my colleague Pat Milton and Jennifer Jacobs that the FBI has arrested a man from Virginia and did so after 8 a.m. on the East Coast today in connection with the January 5 and January 6, 2021, pipe bomb attack outside the Democratic National Headquarters and the Republican National Headquarters. Those bombs never detonated. They were determined to be destructive, potentially deadly, had they detonated. But police have been clear those devices were discovered just as the rioters were approaching the Capitol January 6th and detoured and distracted police at a sensitive and dangerous moment, allowing the riotous mob to get further access to the Capitol grounds and eventually the Capitol itself and attack and try to overturn the 2020 election. We don't have a name yet of the person who's been arrested. We know it's a young man from Virginia. We expect to see court filings either at the federal courthouse here in Washington or the federal courthouse in Virginia at some point today or tomorrow. It's critical, not just the name and identity of this person, but some indication of what the motive he had was, because for nearly five years, this mystery has sprouted some pernicious malignant conspiracy theories infused with politics devoid of fact. There have been arguments and conspiracy theories that the motive may have been to help the insurrectionists. There have been conspiracy theories that the motive may have been to stage an insurrection. There have been theories in between those two polar extremes, but there's been a high volume of uncredible, non-credible, and sometimes hyperbolic conspiracy theories that have saturated social media and saturated some of the political discourse in Washington ever since these bombs were discovered. Perhaps today we get some answers as to what the real reason was for this uncommon, if not historic, attack. Yeah, and Scott, you mentioned some of those malicious rumors and conspiracy theories. Some of those appeared in the right-wing magazine, online magazine, The Blaze. But the FBI threw cold water on some of those conspiracy theories, and specifically that it was perhaps a fedsurrection or perhaps some type of law enforcement officer. And again, we're speculating because we don't have a lot of information, but given what we are learning about the potential age of this suspect, late teens, early 20s, I mean, I don't know if they have teenagers or 20-year-olds who are part of federal law enforcement. Well, the conspiracy theories, which have included the ones you just described, have damaged, if not ruined, people's lives. The person, one of the people who helped discover and report one of the pipe bombs, was menaced and has been menaced and has gone quiet over the last few years because that person was the subject of crazed conspiracy theories, despite being a good citizen, calling in a suspicious device. There have been at least three names that have been publicly circulated as the bomber. Those three people's lives were upended by those baseless and poisonous conspiracy theories. But that doesn't stop the theories from circulating. Today we have an arrest. Soon we'll see the specific allegations alleged by the federal prosecutors. It could, one would hope it would stop the conspiracy theories from circulating, but conspiracy theories are stubborn things. They really are. And so is the reporting by you, Scott McFarland, Pat Milton, and Jennifer Jacobs. Thank you both. Thank you, all three of you, for the late-breaking details and for coming on the air as early as you did to share that with our viewers. We really appreciate you, as always.

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