D.C. Pipe Bomb Suspect Reportedly Confesses To Investigators

The man arrested for allegedly planting pipe bombs at the Republican and Democratic Party headquarters in Washington, D.C., in the hours before the January 6 Capitol riot confessed to the act on Thursday, according to multiple reports.

Brian Cole Jr., who the FBI arrested on Thursday morning, told investigators during interviews on Thursday afternoon that he planted the bombs, according to the Associated Press and The New York Post, which cited sources familiar with the matter. Cole, a 30-year-old living in Woodbridge, Virginia, has been charged with transporting explosives across state lines with intent to kill, injure, and cause damage, and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials. He is set to be arraigned in a D.C. federal court on Friday afternoon.

During his interviews with investigators, Cole also expressed support for President Donald Trump and indicated that he believed the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, the Associated Press reported. Whether Cole allegedly planted pipe bombs in response to Trump losing the 2020 election to former President Joe Biden, however, remains in question. According to charging documents, Cole began purchasing supplies for the pipe bombs in May 2019, long before the controversy surrounding the 2020 election erupted.

The Daily Wire reported on Thursday that Cole worked for a bail bonds company run by his father that worked to free illegal immigrants from ICE facilities and sued the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security. Cole’s exact political leanings or potential motivations remain cloudy, as some reports have also stated that the suspect holds anarchist views.

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Federal authorities have not yet revealed what they believe to be the suspect’s motive. The FBI declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.

The FBI zeroed in on Cole after nearly five years of investigation into the case by analyzing thousands of purchases, cell phone data, and license plates. Data from Cole’s cell phone provider showed that he was near the RNC and DNC on January 5, 2021, between 7:39 p.m. and 8:24 p.m., according to the charging documents. Cole’s 2017 Nissan Sentra with Virginia plates was also allegedly captured by a license plate reader on I-395 South near the Capitol at 7:34 p.m. on that same night.