The FBI has accused Brian Cole Jr. of violating federal law related to the transportation and attempted use of explosive devices.
WASHINGTON—Brian Cole Jr., the man suspected of placing two pipe bombs in Washington before the events of Jan. 6, 2021, appeared before a judge on Dec. 5 in his first court appearance since the Justice Department announced the charges.
A criminal complaint filed on Dec. 3 alleges Cole, a 30-year-old resident of Northern Virginia, violated two sections of U.S. code related to attempted use and transportation of an explosive device.
The hearing comes nearly five years after the events of Jan. 6, 2021, which prompted congressional inquiries and multiple prosecutions under the Biden administration. Yet, questions remained about improvised explosive devices found near the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national committees in Washington.
According to an FBI affidavit, Cole’s cell phone data indicated he was in the vicinity of those offices around the time the bombs were placed on Jan. 5.
Financial transaction records also showed him purchasing “multiple items consistent with those that were used to manufacture the pipe bombs,” the FBI special agent, whose name was redacted, said.
The affidavit was sworn and signed before U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya, who is presiding over the Dec. 5 hearing.
In announcing Cole’s arrest on Dec. 4, Attorney General Pam Bondi and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro praised law enforcement’s work.
“Today’s arrest was the result of good, diligent police work and collaboration on a case that languished for four years under the prior administration,” Bondi said.
According to the FBI, Cole is a resident of Woodbridge, Virginia, where he lives with his mother and other family members in a single-family house. He works in the office of a bail bondsman in Northern Virginia and is five feet six inches tall.
Using surveillance footage, the FBI conducted a reverse projection photogrammetry examination, or height analysis, in January 2021.
“The height analysis showed that the approximate distance from the ground to the top of the individual’s head, including headwear, was 5 feet 7 inches with an error rate of +/-1.1 inches,” the FBI’s affidavit read.
Financial records showed that in 2020, he purchased safety glasses, a wire stripping tool, wire nuts, and other items that would facilitate manufacturing a pipe bomb. The FBI added that his 2017 Nissan Sentra was observed driving past a license plate reader near where the individual who placed the bombs was first observed.
By Stacy Robinson and Sam Dorman
