The bombs were planted outside the Republican and Democratic national party headquarters in Washington, D.C., on the eve of the Jan. 6 siege on the Capitol.
For years, the person who planted pipe bombs at the Republican and Democratic national party headquarters the night before rioters took over the Capitol remained a mystery.
On Thursday, federal investigators announced a major breakthrough in the Jan. 5, 2021, case.
Brian Cole Jr., 30, was arrested and charged with transporting an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials, according to charging documents filed Thursday afternoon. Attorney General Pam Bondi credited investigators and prosecutors for "sifting through evidence that had been sitting at the FBI."
There were no new tips that led to the arrest, Bondi told reporters at a news conference on the previously stalled case.
"This investigation is ongoing," Bondi said. "As we speak, search warrants are being executed, and there could be more charges to come."
While President Donald Trump pardoned hundreds of Jan. 6 rioters on his first day back in office — including one charged with setting off an explosive device during a brutal battle between the pro-Trump mob and law enforcement officers in the Capitol's lower west tunnel — the language of the pardon did not appear to extend to the person who planted the pipe bombs. A former Jan. 6 prosecutor said they expected a defense lawyer to argue the pardon did apply to the conduct.
Though the pipe bombs were found on the day of the Jan. 6 riot, officials have not yet identified a motive.
FBI Co-Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who led the investigation, criticized the Biden administration for "focusing on other things" and said he created a multiagency team to re-examine the evidence that led to a suspect.
"You're not going to walk into our capital city, out down two explosive devices and walk off in the sunset," Bongino said about the would-be bomber. "Not going to happen — we were going to track this person to the end of the Earth. There was no way he was getting away."
Bongino, in a 2024 episode of his eponymous podcast, claimed that the pipe bomb was an “inside job” to stop Trump. “This was a setup. I have zero doubt,” he said last year.
Federal investigators have said a person 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.
The FBI has repeatedly asked the public for information that could lead to an arrest, including releasing additional video of the person planting one of the bombs in January. The bureau said the person was estimated to be 5 feet, 7 inches tall and was wearing Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes with a gold logo.
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 FBI has said. Investigators have conducted more than 1,000 interviews and reviewed tens of thousands of video files.
Cole was identified through the purchases of six galvanized pipes, both black and galvanized endcaps, 9-volt batteries, Walmart kitchen timers and electrical wires, according to the charging document.
The document also says Cole's cellphone engaged in seven data sessions with towers "in the area of the RNC and DNC" on the evening of Jan. 5, 2021.
The suspect’s step-grandfather, Earl Donnette, said in a brief phone call that he spoke with the FBI about his step-grandson, but he declined to comment further. Cole’s father, Brian Cole Sr., declined to comment.
Investigators can be seen on aerial video 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.
Investigation deepened partisan divides
The yearslong probe that failed to gain momentum drew criticism from lawmakers, especially as the Jan. 6 riot took center stage in deepening political divisions.
Trump's pardons of the Jan. 6 rioters, whom he described as "hostages," drew strong rebuke from Democrats. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., accused Republicans in a statement at the time of "celebrating pardons issued to a bloodthirsty mob that violently assaulted police officers."
The Trump administration fired multiple federal prosecutors who worked on the Jan. 6 cases this year. Two were suspended in October after they used the phrase "mob of rioters" in a sentencing memo.
The mystery of the pipe bomber’s identity helped fuel some conspiracy theories, including the notion that the government had set up Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol. Last month, the FBI debunked another theory 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 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 it is "confident" they got the right person. Loudermilk added that he hopes to get a briefing from investigators soon, noting that the congressional investigation 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."
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."
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/po...d-january-6-dc-pipe-bomb-case-rcna247308
