For the first time in nearly five years, there is now a name linked to the bombs planted near both the Republican and Democratic national party headquarters in Washington, D.C., on the eve of the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol.
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\nOn Thursday, Brian Cole Jr., 30, was arrested and charged in connection with the explosives, which did not detonate. He\u2019s accused of transporting an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials, according to charging documents.<\/p>\n
Brian J. Cole Jr. lives in a single-family house in Woodbridge, Virginia, a Washington, D.C., suburb about 25 miles southwest of Capitol Hill, with his mother and other family members, according to the affidavit.
\nOne of Cole\u2019s neighbors said Thursday that he was shocked to learn that the suspect resided on the same block.
\n\u201cNothing ever happens here,\u201d the neighbor said. \u201cIt\u2019s like Sleepytown.\u201d
\nCole works in the office of a bail bondsman in northern Virginia, the charging document states. Cole\u2019s father, Brian Cole Sr., owns a bail bondsman business in northern Virginia. It is not clear if it is the business where the suspect works, and his father declined to comment Thursday.
\nCole graduated from Hylton High School in Virginia in 2013, according to a spokesperson for the Prince William County Public Schools.
\nPublic records do not list Cole\u2019s party affiliation.
\nIt is not clear if Cole has a lawyer.<\/p>\n
In court documents filed Thursday, prosecutors alleged that throughout 2019 and 2020, Cole purchased items consistent with the components used to manufacture the pipe bombs placed at the RNC and DNC. Federal officials allege that he continued to buy materials even after the bombs were placed on Jan. 5.
\nThe charging documents state that he bought galvanized pipes; end caps; battery connectors; kitchen timers; electrical wire and steel wool from retailers, including Home Depot and Walmart, to make the explosives.
\nCole also purchased safety glasses, sandpaper, protective gloves and disinfecting wipes in the months leading up to the attack on the Capitol, according to the affidavit.<\/p>\n
The affidavit states that the FBI also connected Cole to the incident through cellphone tower data. His phone pinged off cellphone towers in the area of the parties\u2019 headquarters, according to the government. Cole\u2019s cellphone engaged in approximately seven data session transactions with the area\u2019s cellphone towers between 7:39 p.m. and 8:24 p.m. on Jan. 5, according to the affidavit.
\nAuthorities also used a license plate reader to place Cole in the area around the time the pipe bombs were placed, according to the charging documents. The affidavit said Cole\u2019s 2017 Nissan Sentra \u201cwas observed driving past a License Plate Reader at the South Capitol Street exit from Interstate 395 South, which is less than one-half mile from the location where the individual who placed the devices was first observed on foot.\u201d
\n\u201cFor all of the reasons stated above, there is probable cause that, on January 5, 2021, COLE placed pipe bombs outside of the RNC and the DNC,\u201d the affidavit reads.<\/p>\n
A neighbor who lives two houses down from the suspect\u2019s home said he was working around 8:30 a.m. when he heard sirens and went to see what the commotion was.
\nThere were two vehicles that resembled Humvees outside, he said.
\n\u201cAnd on the loudspeaker they were saying, \u2018This is the FBI. We have a federal search warrant\u2019 and they were telling everyone to come out of the house with their hands up,\u201d the neighbor said.
\nTwo people came out, but no one was handcuffed, said the neighbor, who did not want his name used.
\n\u201cThey had maybe eight to 10 people in camouflage and full tactical gear, automatic rifles, all aimed at the house,\u201d the neighbor said. \u201cAnd they kind of slowly \u2014 just like in an action movie, they made their way in by formation and all went into the house.\u201d
\nThe neighbor said he recognized the man identified by authorities as the suspect but never spoke to him. The neighborhood is quiet, he said, where "everybody sort of knows everybody."
\nThe man identified by authorities as the suspect would often be walking his chihuahua and seemed to keep to himself, the neighbor said.
\n\u201cJust not somebody that I would pick as somebody who\u2019d want to hurt anyone for any reason,\u201d the neighbor said. \u201cJust seemed to be a quiet guy who enjoyed walking his dog and kept to himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
The arrest of Brian Cole Jr. in connection with the January 2021 D.C. pipe bomb case brings a sense of closure to a mystery that has lasted for nearly five years. While the motive behind the planting of the bombs is still unclear, the evidence gathered by the FBI points to Cole as the suspect. The case highlights the importance of thorough investigation and the use of technology, such as cellphone tower data and license plate readers, in solving crimes.<\/p>\n
Q: Who is the suspect in the January 2021 D.C. pipe bomb case?
\nA: The suspect is Brian Cole Jr., a 30-year-old man from Woodbridge, Virginia.
\nQ: What are the charges against Cole?
\nA: Cole is accused of transporting an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials.
\nQ: How did the FBI connect Cole to the incident?
\nA: The FBI connected Cole to the incident through cellphone tower data and license plate reader data.
\nQ: What is the motive behind the planting of the bombs?
\nA: The motive behind the planting of the bombs is still unclear.
\nQ: Is Cole represented by a lawyer?
\nA: It is not clear if Cole has a lawyer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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