Pipe bomb conspiracy theories are popular on the right – and won’t go awaypublished at 20:29 GMT
Mike Wendling
BBC reporter
As the alleged pipe bombings remained unsolved, they’ve spawned countless conspiracy theories.
One of the most popular is the notion – unsupported by evidence – that US law enforcement was actively involved in planting the bombs.
In the minds of many who believe the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump, the pipe bombs were part of an elaborate narrative portraying those who stormed the Capitol as unwitting victims.
This belief is not confined to the fringes. Before he took
office, the FBI’s deputy director Dan Bongino was one of the theories’ main proponents.
As recently as January – a couple of months before becoming one of the highest-ranking US law enforcement officials – Bongino said on his podcast said the bombs
were part of a “fake assassination attempt”, and that the FBI had identified a suspect but
wasn’t naming them because it was an “inside job”.
We will hear more in coming days about the suspect and about
why it took nearly five years for an arrest.
But today’s news won’t stop the feverish speculation. Large sections of the president’s Maga movement are deeply invested in conspiracy storylines – so the wild theories will undoubtedly
continue.