A Virginia man has confessed to placing pipe bombs outside the headquarters of both major political parties before the January 6th Capitol protest during Donald Trump’s term.
Brian Cole, 30, reportedly admitted his actions during a four-hour interview. He is charged with transporting explosives across state lines with intent to kill or injure people and malicious destruction of property using explosive materials. Investigators discovered viable pipe bombs outside both Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Republican National Committee (RNC) headquarters on the night of January 5, 2021.
Cole appeared in federal court this week but did not enter a plea as requested by his lawyer; he remains held without bail until a detention hearing scheduled for December 15th. Cole told investigators that he believed Donald Trump won the election despite Joe Biden being declared president. His motive is currently unclear, though authorities are examining his statements and social media posts which appeared to show anarchist views.
Cole was not registered with either party in Virginia nor did he participate in primary elections there during recent years. This arrest followed an extensive investigation led by FBI Director Kash Patel involving over 3 million lines of information, without any reports linking Cole to outside groups or the January 6th attack itself.
