December 5, 2025
FBI Arrests Brian Cole Jr., Man Accused Of Planting Pipe Bombs Before Jan. 6
Cole reportedly told FBI officials that he believed the 2020 presidential election, which resulted in Joe Biden being elected, was stolen from Trump.
The FBI have arrested Brian Cole Jr. four years later in the case surrounding pipe bombs being planted in Washington, D.C., just hours before the Jan. 6 riots took place in 2021, CNBC reported.
Brian Cole Jr., a 30-year-old Black man from Woodbridge, Virginia, was arrested Dec. 4 and in addition to “malicious destruction or attempted malicious destruction by means of fire and explosive materials.” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel held a press conference briefing on the outlines of the case revealing Cole also faces charges of transporting an explosive device in interstate commerce with intent to kill, injure or intimidate or unlawfully destroy property.
Cole allegedly planted pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters in D.C., before the riots took place. “An individual who is now alleged to have placed multiple explosive devices to blow up multiple people and multiple officials [and] innocent civilians is now arrested,” Patel said.
Cole’s arrest is labeled a major breakthrough in the investigation going on for close to five years. The devices were allegedly planted Jan. 5 and were found around 1 p.m. the next day. Thankfully, none of the devices detonated.
While CNN described Cole as a white man, he is described as a five-foot-six-inch-tall Black man who “wears corrective eyeglasses” and lives with family members. He is also employed as a bail bondsman in northern Virginia.
According to new reports from CNN, Cole told FBI officials during the interview process that he believed the 2020 presidential election, which resulted in former President Joe Biden being elected, was stolen from Trump, a narrative that many of the now-pardoned riot insurrectionists also believed. The admission gave law enforcement the potential first indication of a motive for the placement of the bombs.
The suspect’s alleged plans started in 2019 and 2020 after purchasing items that some say are used to manufacture pipe bombs. The listed items that the FBI recovered by checking credit card statements and Cole’s checking account include one-inch-by-eight-inch galvanized pipes, black and galvanized “end caps,” nine-volt battery connectors; white kitchen timers; and red and black electrical wire.
Phone records revealed his cellphone pinged in the area close to the committee buildings on Jan. 5 while surveillance showed Cole’s 2017 Nissan Sentra driving past a license plate reader in D.C. less than half a mile from where he was first seen on foot.
The arrest came with no new evidence but the same that was first discovered in 2021 and 2022 – meaning the suspect could have potentially been arrested years ago.
Bondi made sure to point that out, saying the case “languished” under the Biden Administration. “The FBI, along with U.S. Attorney Piro and all of our prosecutors, have worked tirelessly for months, sifting through evidence that had been sitting at the FBI with the Biden administration for four long years. Let me be clear, there was no new tip,” Bondi said, according to Fox News.
“There was no new witness. Just good, diligent police work and prosecutorial work.”
Cole is expected to appear in court on Dec. 5.
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