Anyone can buy a short pipe with threaded ends (called a pipe nipple) and a couple of matching pipe caps at almost every local building supply store for around ten bucks. Drill a hole in one of the caps, screw them on the nipple, poke some wires through the hole, wrap them around a 1-hour kitchen timer, and viola! you have the Jan 6 “bombs”.
The hard part would be coming up with the explosive material inside the pipe, and the blasting cap to set it off. That’s what the bomb sniffing dogs would smell.
One early report on the ‘bombs’ said the FBI “safely detonated” the ‘bombs”, which would, of course, destroyed all evidence they could have provided.
:You make the excellent point: “One early report on the ‘bombs’ said the FBI “safely detonated” the ‘bombs”, which would, of course, destroyed all evidence they could have provided.” As a criminal enterprise the FBI is very good at covering its tracks.
“The hard part would be coming up with the explosive material inside the pipe, and the blasting cap to set it off. That’s what the bomb sniffing dogs would smell.”
I think there was no explosive charge in the pipes. It was a training device, used by cops all over the country, especially the feds. More for visual identification training than dog-sniffing devices.
It was empty (or full of inactive material for weight) with a standard rocket ignitor in on end, though, for visual consistency. Nobody seems to have asked if the device had an active explosive charge in it.
“Sherwin responded that both scenarios would be explored during the investigation but he emphasized that the devices were “real” and contained “explosive igniters.””
Uh huh. The ignitors were likely deactivated, for safety reasons, which is easy to do. Soak in water overnight, or similar. And likely any batteries were inert as well.
Visual training devices are not controlled very closely. The training devices for dogs have traces of actual explosive material, so the dogs can find them, and are very tightly controlled. Need to be signed in and out, serial numbered, etc.
No video available to show someone actually planting them. Uh huh.
My guess is either some dufus forgot to pick them back up after the visual sweep, or an insider planted them there right before the bru-haha. But regardless, all the cops knew immediately what it was: an inert training device. (And their communications will indicate so. Oops, they got erased.) Dogs couldn’t smell the inert devices, as intended.
Hence the nonchalance.
The Keystone Kops know durn well what happened. They’re too embarrassed to say so.