Suspect arrested in January 2021 D.C. pipe bomb case

Post Reply New Topic

The FBI has arrested a suspect in its investigation into pipe bombs planted near the Republican and Democratic national party headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, 2021, according to federal law enforcement officials.

Brian Cole Jr. was identified as the suspect and has been charged with use of an explosive device, officials confirmed in a Thursday afternoon press conference. The arrest marks a breakthrough in a case that has stymied investigators for nearly five years.

Attorney General Pam Bondi credited investigators and prosecutors for "sifting through evidence that had been sitting at the FBI," noting that no new tips led to the arrest.

"This investigation is ongoing," Bondi said. "As we speak, search warrants are being executed, and there could be more charges to come."

An FBI official previously told NBC News that the arrest happened on Thursday morning.

In an email, a spokesperson for Prince William County Public Schools confirmed to NBC News that Cole graduated from Hylton High School in 2013. The spokesperson, Diana Gulotta, declined to comment further.

The suspect’s step-grandfather, Earl Donnette, said in a brief phone call that he spoke with the FBI about his step-grandson, but declined to comment further. Cole’s father, Brian Cole Sr., declined to comment.

Investigators can be seen on aerial footage blocking off the entrance to the suspect's father's business with police tape. The FBI could also be seen at the family home, collecting items from cars parked outside.

Federal investigators have said an individual placed one pipe bomb near the Democratic National Committee headquarters and another near the Republican National Committee headquarters on the eve of the Jan. 6 siege on the Capitol.

The FBI has said the pipe bombs, which were discovered about 15 hours after they were placed, were viable devices that could have seriously injured or killed bystanders. The bureau has said investigators have conducted more than 1,000 interviews and reviewed tens of thousands of video files.

The mystery of the pipe bomber’s identity helped fuel some conspiracy theories, including the notion that the government had set up supporters of President Donald Trump who stormed the Capitol. Last month, the FBI debunked another one that suggested the bombs were planted by a former Capitol Police officer.

Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., is one who amplified some of the conspiracy theories over the source of the pipe bomb that have circulated online, including the one about the former Capitol Police officer. Loudermilk was named chairman of a select subcommittee that aims to counter the findings of the now-defunct Jan. 6 committee that operated during the Biden administration.

He told reporters Thursday that he spoke to the FBI in the morning and that they’re "confident" they got the guy, a male from northern Virginia. Loudermilk added that he hopes to get a briefing from investigators soon, noting that the congressional investigation into the matter was separate from the FBI’s criminal probe.

"That would be great if we could, if they were willing to give us more information," Loudermilk said. "But at the same time, you know, the FBI is going to be questioning, and there is an active case that we don’t want to assert anything that they have."

While Trump pardoned Jan. 6 rioters, including those who attacked law enforcement officers, on his first day back in office this year, the language of the pardons did not extend to the individual who planted pipe bombs near the RNC and the DNC.

John Richter, the former Biden and Clinton staffer whom the FBI wrongfully questioned about the Jan. 6 pipe bomb case, told NBC News on Thursday that he’s received a bunch of texts from friends joking about the arrest of the actual suspect.

"My phone is blowing up haha. Omg," Richter, based on D.C., said in a text message.

Richter, as NBC News reported, was questioned by FBI special agents about his whereabouts on Jan. 5, 2021. Another man named John Richter was eventually arrested for storming the Capitol. A friend of that other John Richter had yelled Richter’s name on the floor of the U.S. Senate, which appears to be what led the FBI to Richter’s door in D.C.

Greg Rosen — who led the now-defunct Capitol Siege Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia — told NBC News on Thursday morning that the suspect's arrest is a reflection on the work of the type of career FBI special agents and prosecutors who have been targeted by the Trump administration for their work on the Jan. 6 cases.

"This is a testament to the incredible work of career FBI agents and prosecutors who have been working this case for years," Rosen said. "While we don’t yet know all the facts, the American people should be proud of their work."

A neighbor who lives near a home associated with Cole in Woodbridge, Virginia, said he was shocked to learn that the pipe bomb suspect resided on the same block.

"Nothing ever happens here," the neighbor said. "It’s like Sleepytown.”

Submitted the day before Cole's arrest, an FBI affidavit gives a summary of this evidence while also revealing some information about the suspect.

Debit and credit card purchases
checking account and six credit card spending reports show Cole allegedly bought materials between 2019 and 2020 to build the pipe bombs planted in Washington on Jan. 5, 2021. According to the FBI affidavit, brand-name galvanized pipes, end caps, nine-volt battery connectors, and kitchen-style timers were all listed by the FBI as items that Cole bought — all of which appeared to match components of the pipe bombs left outside the Republican and Democratic headquarters.

Cellphone data
Cole's cellphone reportedly had seven data session transactions with cell towers in Washington between 7:39 and 8:24 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2021. According to the FBI report, the towers that Cole's phone interacted with covered areas that included the DNC and RNC headquarters.

The times listed in the FBI report match the time stamps on surveillance footage that shows someone planting bombs at the political party headquarters and walking around in surrounding areas between 7:34 and 8:18 p.m.

License plate reader
About 20 minutes before surveillance footage first captured the pipe bomber, the FBI report alleges a license plate reader scanned Cole's car's plate while he got off I-395 South onto South Capital Street — less than one and a half miles from those area surveillance cameras.

Cole had reportedly been in the area of the attempted pipe bombing in the weeks leading up to Jan. 5, 2021. According to the FBI, Cole ate at a restaurant in the area on Dec. 14, 2020.

Who is Brian Cole Jr.?
A 30-year-old bail bondsman in northern Virginia, Brian J. Cole Jr., had been living in a single-family house in Woodbridge with his mother and other family members, according to the FBI report.

Cole is 5-foot-6. His height nearly matches a description previously put out by the FBI that estimated the suspect — then unknown — was around 5-foot-7 inches.

The FBI affidavit accused Cole of two U.S. criminal code violations, one for trying to set off the explosives and the other for allegedly transporting the bombs across state lines. Each federal charge carries with it a minimum prison sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of 20 years.

Cole graduated from Hyland High School in Woodbridge in 2013, according to Prince William County Public Schools.

Neighbors described him as someone who kept himself and frequently walked his dog.

“He was quiet,” neighbor Jesenia Lopez told WUSA9. “I just know that every time we would see him, he'd walk around his dog.”

Questions remain after the arrest of Brian J. Cole Jr., 30, of Woodbridge, who faces explosives charges after authorities say he placed two pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic party headquarters in Washington, D.C. the night before the U.S. Capitol attack.

Law enforcement reviewed credit card records, cellphone tower data and license plate reader information to identify Cole, according to an FBI affidavit.

The FBI and Justice Department declined to say what led them to the suspect but called the arrest the result of a renewed investigation under President Donald Trump’s administration. Officials credited a fresh review of previously collected evidence and data.

A source close to the investigation told Fox News that Cole spoke with investigators for hours, admitted planting the devices and voiced doubts about the 2020 presidential election outcome.

FBI agents continued interviewing the suspect as he prepared for a federal court appearance Tuesday before a magistrate. He has not entered a plea.

A second source told Fox News that Cole’s possible motive is only one detail from the early stages of an active investigation, and that a full picture has yet to emerge.

The suspect’s comments about the 2020 election and his apparent support for Trump may hint at a motive, FOX News says.

The Virginia man accused of planting pipe bombs at the nation's capital on Jan. 5, 2021, is requesting a conditional release from jail as his attorney cites his autism diagnosis.

Federal prosecutors allege that Brian Cole, 30, is the man who planted explosive devices at the Republican and Democratic national party headquarters the night before rioters swarmed the Capitol Building. He's been in custody since his Dec. 4 arrest when he was charged with transporting an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials.

Cole has not yet entered a plea.

But in a motion filed on Sunday, the government alleged that Cole wore a face mask and gloves the night he planted the bombs, as well as wiping down the bombs with disinfectant. The government said Cole also performed a factory reset of his phone more than 900 times between December 2020 and the day he was arrested.

Federal prosecutors have urged a judge to keep Cole in detention, alleging that Cole felt "extreme acts of violence” were justified because of his dislike of both political parties. The motion said that the man told FBI agents that “something just snapped” after he had watched “everything getting worse.”

He directed his ire at the Democratic and Republican parties because “they were in charge,” Cole told agents, according to the government filing.

NBC News, citing three sources familiar with the matter, previously reported that Cole confessed to having planted the pipe bombs in an interview with FBI agents. Two sources familiar with the matter also previously told NBC News that Cole believed in conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

Cole was allegedly inspired to use pipe bombs by his interest in The Troubles in Northern Ireland, the sectarian war between Catholics and Protestants that escalated into violence in the 1970s. The violence, which included bombing attacks, went on for three decades.

According to the government's filing, Cole did not test the devices before planting them and they failed to go off as planned.

“Ultimately, it was luck, not lack of effort, that the defendant failed to detonate one or both of his devices and that no one was killed or maimed due to his actions,” the government filing said. “Indeed, the defendant admitted that he set both devices to detonate 60 minutes after he placed them.

In a federal court filing Tuesday morning, Cole's attorneys said he has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The filing described his diagnosis as a mild form of autism.

Several character reference letters were included in the filing from people who say they’ve known Cole for years.

“While I understand the seriousness of the charges against Brian Cole Jr., these charges seem totally out of character from the Brian Cole Jr. that I have observed over many years,” one individual who has known Cole for 22 years wrote. Their name was redacted.

Cole's attorneys wrote that the government has not presented any evidence that suggests evasive conduct or resistance to law enforcement. They argued that Cole doesn’t pose an ongoing threat to the community, and is happy to comply with all court ordered restrictions.

He has kept the same job with his family’s bail bonds business over several years and hasn’t moved or attempted to flee, the filing said.

“The government argues that Mr. Cole spent nearly five years trying to evade detection,” the filing said. “Not true: Mr. Cole lived with his parents the entire time, never moved, and followed his same routine daily.”