As the January 6 hearings focus attention on the Capitol riot, one huge mystery remains.

• The January 6 hearings have brought renewed attention to the Capitol Riot in early 2021.
• The FBI still doesn't know who planted two pipe bombs at the DNC and RNC the day before the riot.

As the January 6 hearings this month focus attention on the Capitol Riot and new details emerge of violent attempts to undermine democracy, one huge mystery from the lead up to that day remains unsolved. The FBI still hasn't identified or arrested the individual who planted two pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democrat National Committee offices in Washington DC the day before the Capitol assault.

A year and a half after the start of one of the largest investigation in the FBI's history — with over 900 interviews and 39,000 videos examined, according to CBS — no suspect identity has been named or confirmed related to the pipe bombs.

The fully functional bombs, which were made with galvanized steel pipes, homemade powder, and kitchen timers, were disabled with water blased by bomb technicians, according to HuffPost. Karlin Younger, a DC resident who discovered the bomb placed near the RNC, previously told Insider she initially thought it was trash or something that had missed a garbage bin, but noticed there were wires, caps, and a timer, and told a guard. Police found the DNC bomb soon after close to a bench.

"You're just staring at it, and you're like, 'Okay, it's definitely metal.' But there's like wires attached to it, and there's a timer attached to it," Younger said of finding the bomb. "What am I looking at? It's not immediately obvious because you're just really, really not expecting anything."

Although authorities found and safely removed the bombs before they caused any harm, they could have had disastrous consequences. The FBI said the devices "were viable and could have been detonated, resulting in serious injury or death." Vice President Kamala Harris was inside the DNC building when the pipe bomb was discovered outside the facility, according to Politico.

Even though the bombs didn't detonate, they also diverted attention and resources away from the Capitol Riot, which quickly spiraled out of control. Michael Bolton, the recently retired Capitol Police Inspector General, testified in Congress that the bombs drew three teams to investigate and made it so only one squad remained at the Captiol, according to HuffPost.

The only confirmed details about the suspect's appearance, according to the FBI website, is that they were masked, carrying a backpack, had gloves and glasses, and were wearing a gray hoodie and Nike Air Max Speed Turfs with a yellow Nike symbol. The FBI has released multiple videos of the suspect walking around the night of the pipe bomb placements, along with a map of the suspected route they took.

Earlier this year, Steven D'Antuono, the FBI's Assistant Director of the Washington Field Office, told the Associated Press that they were "still nose to the grindstone here and trying to find this individual, trying to bring the person to justice."

The FBI first offered $50,000 for anyone who could provide intel that would lead to the person's location and arrest, later upped it to $75,000, and then raised it again to $100,000. The bureau is still urging anyone with insight to provide tips.

Meanwhile, over 800 people have been arrested and charged with crimes in relation to the Capitol Riot on January 6, 2021, when a crowd of Trump supporters assaulted the federal building. In one of the most high-profile arrests so far, the FBI last week detained Ryan Kelley, the GOP's Michigan gubernatorial candidate, for charges related to the Capitol riot. Leaders of the far-right groups Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers have also been charged with seditious conspiracy in association with the Capitol assault.