-
In November 2025, social media posts alleged that Shauni Rae Kerkhoff, a former U.S. Capitol Police officer, was suspected of placing pipe bombs near the Democratic and Republican National Committee offices in Washington, D.C., the day before the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
-
The claim stemmed from a Nov. 8 report published by conservative media outlet Blaze News, which alleged that a forensic analysis of Kerkhoff’s gait was a “94-98% match to the unique stride” of the pipe bomb suspect.
-
As of this writing, the report had not been independently confirmed. Snopes was unable to verify Blaze News’ claims because the report cited unnamed intelligence sources and did not publicly share the forensic study it referenced. Other major news outlets had not independently reported the story at the time of publication.
-
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), FBI and other law enforcement agencies had not identified Kerkhoff as a suspect in the pipe bomb incident. We could not immediately reach Kerkhoff for comment.
-
A Blaze News writer who contributed to the outlet’s reporting was previously involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, according to The Associated Press. Baker reportedly said that he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in 2024 “to avoid the shaming exercise of a trial” and maintained that he didn’t do anything wrong on Jan. 6.
In November 2025, social media posts alleged that Shauni Rae Kerkhoff, a former U.S. Capitol Police officer, was suspected of placing pipe bombs near the Democratic and Republican National Committee offices in Washington, D.C., the day before the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
According to the FBI, a person placed pipe bombs — which did not detonate — near the offices between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2021. The agency offered a $500,000 reward for information that would help identify the person responsible.
Some of the posts, including this one on LinkedIn (archived), claimed that Kerkhoff was identified as a “forensic match” to the pipe bomb suspect.
(Mad World News via Facebook)
Similar claims about Kerkhoff’s potential involvement in the pipe bomb incidents circulated on X. Multiple Snopes readers also emailed us and searched our website to verify the claim’s authenticity.
The claim stemmed from a Nov. 8 report (archived) published by conservative media outlet Blaze News, which alleged that a forensic analysis of Kerkhoff’s gait was a “94-98% match to the unique stride” of the pipe bomb suspect.
As of this writing, the report had not been independently confirmed. Snopes was unable to verify Blaze News’ claims because the report cited unnamed intelligence sources and did not publicly share the forensic study it referenced. Other major news outlets had not independently reported the story at the time of publication.
Snopes contacted Blaze News to ask whether its sources were affiliated with the federal government or other agencies, and to request access to the forensic analysis for review. We will update this story if we receive a response.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), FBI and other law enforcement agencies had not identified Kerkhoff as a suspect in the pipe bomb incident. We could not immediately reach Kerkhoff for comment.
A reverse image search of a photo shared in the social media posts led us to this image (archived) of Kerkhoff on the website for Columbia Eagles FC, a women’s soccer club in Ohio. March 2022 reports from reputable news outlets (archived here and here) also identified a person by that name as a Capitol Police officer who testified at a Jan. 6 trial. We could not definitively confirm that the person in the soccer photo and the Capitol Police officer named in news reports were the same individual.
Given the above information, we’ve left this claim unrated.
DOJ attorney and FBI responses
The DOJ had not responded to our request for comment by the time of publication. However, a DOJ attorney appeared to refute a separate but related claim that he had identified Kerkhoff as the “J6 pipe bomber.”
An image shared on Facebook (archived) appeared to a show a screenshot of a now-deleted X post that read:
U.S. Pardon Attorney and Director of the DOJ Weaponization Working Group Administration has determined the identity of the J6 Pipe Bomber.
Shauni Kerkhoff is a former Capitol Police Officer and current intelligence operative. Jan 6th was an FBI/CIA led coup.
Ed Martin, a DOJ attorney who serves in the roles mentioned in the post, appeared to respond to the claim, calling it “false” and clarifying that neither he nor the DOJ had “made this determination.”
We could not independently verify the original post or its content, as it had been deleted and was not archived elsewhere as of this writing.
The FBI did not comment on the accuracy of the Blaze News report or on whether Kerkhoff was under investigation. The agency told Snopes in an email statement that the pipe bomb investigation “remains a high priority” and confirmed that the $500,000 reward was still available.
The FBI’s full statement is as follows:
The investigation into who placed pipe bombs on Capitol Hill on Jan. 5, 2021, remains a high priority for the FBI and our law enforcement partners. A $500,000 reward remains in effect for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the individual who placed the pipe bombs. The tips we have received so far from the American people, including open source leads, have helped us advance the investigation with expediency and professionalism, and we ask the public to continue to assist us by taking a fresh look at our Seeking Information webpage, which includes images and updated video of the suspect, the suspect’s backpack, the suspect’s shoes, the explosive devices, and a map of the route the suspect walked the night the pipe bombs were placed. We urge anyone who may have previously hesitated to come forward or who may not have realized they had important information to contact us and share anything relevant. Anyone with information should call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit tips online to tips.fbi.gov.
What the Blaze News report alleges
The Blaze News report claimed that Kerkhoff was a “forensic match” for the unidentified pipe bomb suspect from Jan. 5, 2021.
The news outlet cited a “a software algorithm that analyzed walking parameters,” saying it rated Kerkhoff as a 94% match to the suspect. An unnamed analyst who reportedly ran the analysis for Blaze News suggested the match could be closer to 98%, according to the report.
Two other unnamed sources “familiar with gait analysis who viewed the video comparison and the software analysis” reportedly told Blaze News they agreed that the video samples matched the suspect’s gait.
Blaze News said the analysis compared samples of Kerkhoff’s gait taken from Jan. 6 Capitol Police CCTV footage to video of the pipe bomb suspect from a source outside of the FBI. A “video sleuth” reportedly told the outlet that FBI-released footage had been downsampled. Blaze News said the video it used was “clearer with much smoother motion.”
Snopes could not review the analysis or videos, as they were not publicly available.
The report also claimed that Kerkhoff worked for the Capitol Police for 4 1/2 years before leaving in mid-2021 for a security detail at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), citing unnamed sources. A CIA spokeswoman reportedly told Blaze News that Kerkhoff worked in campus security.
Capitol Police and the CIA had not responded to Snopes’ requests for comment by the time of publication.
Former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund was quoted in the report as saying he was unaware of any officer being involved in the incident.
Blaze reporter involved in Jan. 6 controversy
A Blaze News writer who contributed to the outlet’s reporting was previously involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, according to The Associated Press (AP) (archived).
Steve Baker pleaded guilty in November 2024 to participating in the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the AP reported. He had been arrested and charged that March with four misdemeanor counts, including trespassing and disorderly conduct charges.
At the time, Baker reportedly said that he pleaded guilty “to avoid the shaming exercise of a trial” and maintained that he didn’t do anything wrong on Jan. 6.
U.S. President Donald Trump later pardoned all individuals convicted in connection with the Capitol attack.
Baker began writing for Blaze News after the Jan. 6 riot. He was working as a freelance journalist during the riot and later sold videos of the event to The New York Times and HBO, according to the AP.
Sources:
“Updated: Seeking Information on Capitol Hill Pipe Bomb Suspect | Federal Bureau of Investigation.” Federal Bureau of Investigation, www.fbi.gov/video-repository/wfo-pipebomb-oct-2025-update-v2.mp4/view. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
Baker, Steve, and Joseph M Hanneman. “Former Capitol Police Officer a Forensic Match for Jan. 6 Pipe Bomber, Sources Say.” Blaze Media, 8 Nov. 2025, www.theblaze.com/news/former-capitol-police-officer-a-forensic-match-for-jan-6-pipe-bomber-sources-say. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
“Jan. 6 Riot Defendant Was “Tip of This Mob’s Spear,” Prosecutor Tells Jury.” NPR, 2 Mar. 2022, www.npr.org/2022/03/02/1083927209/jan-6-riot-defendant-was-tip-of-this-mobs-spear-prosecutor-tells-jury. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
Polantz, Katelyn, and Hannah Rabinowitz. “January 6 Trial’s Witness Testimony Opens with Searing Capitol Police Audio and Emotional Testimony.” CNN, 3 Mar. 2022, www.cnn.com/2022/03/02/politics/reffitt-january-6-trial-capitol-police-testimony. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
Kunzelman, Michael. “Writer Pleads Guilty to Capitol Riot Charges.” AP News, 12 Nov. 2024, apnews.com/article/steve-baker-capitol-riot-blaze-news-writer-2db0b3855c6b5aa88d9d16c189a93959. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
—. “Writer for Conservative Media Outlet Surrenders to Face Capitol Riot Charges.” AP News, 1 Mar. 2024, apnews.com/article/steve-baker-blaze-news-capitol-riot-88004e2ce919d39cc84e1b2922840fc2.
“Granting Pardons and Commutation of Sentences for Certain Offenses Relating to the Events at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021 – the White House.” The White House, The White House, 21 Jan. 2025, www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/granting-pardons-and-commutation-of-sentences-for-certain-offenses-relating-to-the-events-at-or-near-the-united-states-capitol-on-january-6-2021/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
