The Virginia man who’s been charged with planting pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic National Committees in Washington, D.C., just before the Capitol incursion on Jan. 6, 2021, reportedly confessed to the crime Thursday afternoon.
Brian Cole Jr., 30, did not enter a plea during his appearance in D.C. federal court Friday and will be held in detention pending a Dec. 15 hearing, according to The New York Post.
He has been charged with one count of transporting explosives across state lines with intent to kill, injure, and cause damage, along with one count of attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials.
Cole faces up to 10 years in prison on the first count, and up to 20 years on the second if he’s convicted.
The Post also reported that Cole told investigators he “had bought into claims that Donald Trump really won that election and not Democrat Joe Biden.”
But his true motive remains unclear as the process continues to play out. Cole’s four-hour interview with law enforcement was broad in scope and included conflicting statements.
A national Republican operative told The Post there was “zero indication” Cole was ever a Trump voter.
CNN’s Jake Tapper skewered for calling black DC pipe bomb suspect Brian Cole Jr. a ‘white man’ on air https://t.co/dvfS6wuRMF pic.twitter.com/XzWblGenm1
— New York Post (@nypost) December 5, 2025
“Cole did not appear to have registered with either party in Virginia and did not vote in primary races — but did cast ballots in general elections in 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2024,” the article said.
After Cole was initially identified, however, he was linked with radical political views.
“Authorities have not yet determined a motive, a law enforcement official said. But the suspect has been linked to statements in support of anarchist ideology, said two people briefed on the arrest,” according to MS NOW.
VIDEO: Attorney General Pam Bondi blamed the Biden administration for allowing the DC pipe bomb case to languish for 4 years. The key evidence had been “sitting at the FBI” all along, Bondi said. pic.twitter.com/EJNwExfzTK
— The Western Journal (@WesternJournalX) December 4, 2025
Cole’s arrest came after FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino led a re-examination of the case.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday that key evidence had been “sitting at the FBI” during the Biden administration, but only came to light after the Trump administration officials reviewed the evidence.
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