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FACT BRIEF

Is there no national manhunt for those who planted two pipe bombs near the US Capitol in January?

By Courtney Kealy
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NO

On Jan. 5, 2021, two pipe bombs were placed in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The bombs were safely detonated by authorities.

Contrary to a social media post eight months later, the search for the pipe-bomb maker was nationwide and involved the FBI's Washington, D.C. field office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Capitol Police and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.

As of November 2021, investigators were still actively seeking tips from the public by offering a reward of $100,000. Details of the search on the FBI website fit the definition of manhunt: "a very organized, very intensive nationwide search."

On September 8 — nearly three weeks before the "no national manhunt" claim was posted — the FBI said it had "conducted more than 800 interviews, collected more than 23,000 video files, and assessed more than 300 tips related to this investigation."

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
FBI Video and Additional Information Released Regarding January 5 Pipe Bomb Investigation — FBI
The Hill DC police confirm explosives found near Capitol
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.