A former FBI agent, Kyle Seraphin, has come forward with crucial information regarding the pipe bombs discovered near the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Democratic National Committee (DNC) buildings a day before the January 6th, 2021, Capitol riot. According to a report by the Washington Times, Seraphin, who worked on the case, claims the devices were inoperable and posed no real threat.
His testimony notably contradicts the official statement from the FBI regarding the devices, which claimed that the pipe bombs were functional.
During an interview, Seraphin disclosed that technicians from the Joint Program Office for Countering IEDs confirmed to him that the devices lacked the necessary assembly to function as genuine bombs. “The devices were primitive and had all the components you would have for a bomb, but they weren’t assembled like a real bomb,” he stated. “They would have never gone off. There was no chance they could have actually detonated. So they were inert devices. They just looked good.”
The former agent also expressed concern about the handling of the investigation, citing a breach of protocol. “You’re really not supposed to put out any… information about the investigation. And that’s the golden rule, and initial reports are often not correct or garbled,” Seraphin noted. His remarks suggest a potential lack of transparency on the part of the FBI regarding the true nature of the devices.
On January 5, 2021, the day before the Capitol riot on January 6, two pipe bombs were discovered near the headquarters of the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in Washington, D.C. The discovery of these explosive devices further escalated the tension and concern surrounding the events leading up to the Capitol breach.
The pipe bombs, described as unsophisticated in nature, were found in separate locations. The one placed near the RNC was found at the intersection of First Street and F Street, while the other near the DNC was located on the 300 block of Second Street, both within close proximity to the U.S. Capitol.
Despite their inoperability, Seraphin emphasized that such devices, even in their primitive state, could still be considered weapons of mass destruction. “Whenever you have the ingredients together, even though you’re too incompetent to actually make it go off or wire it, it probably still qualifies as a weapon of mass destruction, even if it’s the tiniest little pipe bomb,” he explained.
Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), promptly responded to the scene. The discovery of the pipe bombs prompted an evacuation of the RNC and DNC buildings as a precautionary measure.
Following the evacuation, the devices were safely rendered harmless by bomb technicians who conducted controlled detonations. The investigation into the incident, led by the FBI, aimed to identify the individual or individuals responsible for planting the pipe bombs and determine their motives.
The discovery of the pipe bombs added to the already charged atmosphere surrounding the Capitol riot, which occurred the next day. The events of January 6 resulted in the breaching of the U.S. Capitol building by a mob of individuals supporting then-President Donald Trump, leading to disruptions of the certification process of the 2020 Presidential election results.
Another questionable aspect revealed by Seraphin was the mishandling of suspect identification. He revealed that authorities tracked the purchase of a card associated with the devices, but the person who bought it was not the same individual observed using it. This discrepancy raises doubts about the thoroughness of the investigation and the potential leads that could have been pursued.
Seraphin expressed disappointment with the outcome of the case, stating, “I don’t know what they [eventually] did on that case, but I know that it was BS and the bombs were BS, and it seems like they had a good lead, and they could have run it down. But as far as I know, they never did.”
