FBI says finding pipe bomb maker a 'top priority' before Biden inauguration, official reveals

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The FBI warned law enforcement agencies Tuesday that the person who constructed pipe bombs and left them near the Capitol on Jan. 6 has not yet been identified and is a "top priority" on the eve of Joe Biden's inauguration, according to a law enforcement official briefed on inauguration security concerns.

The FBI also warned fellow law enforcement agencies Tuesday that there is concern this person is still active and could be attempting to make more explosive devices, according to the law enforcement official.

As the attack on the Capitol was unfolding on Jan. 6, law enforcement officials found two pipe bombs only blocks away, one outside the Republican National Committee headquarters, and another outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters. Federal officials have made clear in the days since that both of those pipe bombs were legitimate destructive devices with functioning components.

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The devices were "rendered safe" by federal authorities and did not detonate. Components from those devices are being analyzed at the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Va.

An explosive device is shown outside of the Republican National Committee office, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo)

The pipe bombs are still the subject of an open investigation, and federal authorities are looking very closely at them, according to a separate senior federal law enforcement official, who said, "Every explosive device tells a story."

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With components of the devices still in good condition, authorities will be looking for signatures such as how they were manufactured, where the fuel was obtained and any similarities to thousands of other devices in federal databases.

There are pictures of a person authorities want to speak to in connection with these devices, but notably that person's face was completely covered up in the photo.