The arrest came nearly five years after the Biden DOJ's discovery.
Brian Cole, 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia, was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with use of an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction using explosive materials. Prosecutors allege Cole planted pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters on January 5, 2021, the night before the Capitol riot. Investigators say Cole later admitted to placing the devices.
The arrest came nearly five years after the Biden DOJ's discovery. The House Select Subcommittee on January 6th noted that in its report, the subcommittee found that an FBI case team in April 2021 identified a redacted user who had been in the area where the pipe bombs were placed using their phone.
The affidavit stated that cellphone tower records from the area of the RNC and DNC’s Washington, DC headquarters showed Cole’s phone in the area of where the pipe bombs were placed, with seven "data session transactions" taking place with nearby cellphone towers between 7:39 pm and 8:24 pm on January 5, 2021. The bombs were placed near the RNC and DNC between 7:30 and 8:30 pm.
The January 2025 report from the J6 Select Subcommittee stated, "As the FBI continued analyzing large datasets from the carriers, certain devices exhibited behavior consistent with the suspect. For example, in April 2021, the case team identified a [redacted] user who was in the area of the DNC at the time the suspect can be seen on video footage using their phone. The FBI requested and received the 'historical cell tower data' for the user, and as of April 2021, the case team was attempting to 'further analyze' the user’s movements. It is ultimately unclear what happened with respect to this lead."
The Department of Justice announced charges against Cole on Thursday, with Attorney General Pam Bondi saying that more charges could be coming. She stressed that there was no new tip or witness in the case that led to the arrest, " just good, diligent police work and prosecutorial work. Working as a team, along with ATF, Capitol Police, Metropolitan Police Department, and, of course, the FBI."
Cole’s neighbors described him as "very antisocial," and having a "dog that he loves." His family said that Cole is "not politically affiliated with anything. He has no social media contacts. He’s never online going back and forth with politics or anything like that. He says he don’t like either party." Cole was also described as "borderline autistic."
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