Topline
Brian Cole Jr., the suspect charged by authorities Thursday for allegedly placing pipe bombs near the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., just before the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots, lived with his family in Virginia and worked at a bail bondsman’s office, according to a federal affidavit, but authorities have revealed no details about a possible motive for the attempted bombing.
The bombs were placed at the Republican and Democratic headquarters shortly before the Capitol riots.
Associated Press
Key Facts
Cole was charged with attempted malicious destruction using explosives and transporting explosives across state lines with intent to kill or harm, Attorney General Pam Bondi said at a press conference on Thursday.
Bondi, who announced the arrest alongside FBI Director Kash Patel, Deputy Director Dan Bongino and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, revealed few details about the suspect citing an ongoing investigation, but did say he was “living just miles away from here in Virginia.”
Cole, 30, lives in Woodbridge, Virginia, with his mother and “other family members” and works at a bail bondsman’s office in the state, according to an affidavit viewed by Forbes.
In 2019 and 2020, Cole purchased the same items used to create the bombs, the affidavit states, including 1” by 8” pipes from Home Depot stores and two kitchen timers from a Walmart.
Investigators also traced Cole’s location on Jan. 5, 2021 to areas close to where the bombs were placed, and his car was identified by a license plate reader less than half a mile from the location where the suspected bomber was caught on security camera footage.
“There was no new tip, no new witness, just good diligent police work and prosecutorial work,” Bondi said, who noted that Cole could face additional charges.
The unsolved mystery has captivated conspiracy theorists on the far-right for years since the bombs were discovered, and the case was one of multiple Bongino said would receive “additional resources and investigative attention” in the months after he and Patel were confirmed.
Key Background
The bombs were placed outside the RNC and DNC offices on Jan. 5, 2021, the night before a large mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building while Congress was certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election for former President Joe Biden. The bombs were planted near the two parties’ headquarters—in an alley outside the RNC building, and under a bench near the DNC building. They were not discovered for about 17 hours, and Vice President Kamala Harris was evacuated from the DNC building after they were found. Although they did not go off, the FBI confirmed they were “viable pipe bombs that could have seriously injured or killed innocent bystanders.” Despite collecting visual evidence from surveillance footage, the suspected bomber’s identity has remained elusive for the past five years. Investigators eventually offered a $490,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the suspected bomber, in addition to a $10,000 reward from the Metropolitan Police Department.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharyfolk/2025/12/04/brian-cole-charged-in-jan-6-pipe-bomb-investigation-heres-what-we-know-about-the-suspect-so-far/
