DC pipe bombs suspect Brian Cole, Jr., 30, was arrested at his home in Woodbridge, Virginia on Thursday morning.
He is charged with the use of an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction using explosive materials.
His arrest came 4 years after a man planted pipe bombs outside DNC and RNC offices in Washington, DC. on January 5, 2021. The bombs did not detonate.
Cole was identified through evidence including license plate readers and data from cell phone towers in DC.
US Attorney Pam Bondi is pictured with FBI Director Kash Patel (left) and Dan Bongino, deputy director of the FBI (right) at a press conference on Thursday, December 4.
Bondi said the DC pipe bomb case “languished” under the previous administration.
“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,” said Bondi. “The American people are safer thanks to this morning’s successful operation.”
“The total lack of movement in this case in our nation’s capital undermined the public trust of our enforcement agencies,” Bondi added.
Bongino said the investigation is far from over. Other arrests are expected.
“This is chapter 1 of a 10, 20 chapter book. This investigation is not over at all. The investigation has just begun,” said Bongino on Sean Hannity’s show Thursday night.
The case was cracked after Kash Patel fired FBI agents who had been investigating the J6 pipe bomb case for nearly 5 years.
The new FBI team quickly uncovered evidence that led to Cole Jr’s arrest.
The evidence included cell phone data that placed Cole at specific locations and credit card receipts that show Cole paid for bomb components with his personal credit card.
Cole’s father is Brian Cole Sr., a bail bondsman in Northern Virginia, who was previously represented by Ben Crump in a racial discrimination case.
Cole Sr. has not commented publicly on his son’s case.
Delicia Cole, the suspect’s mother, turned off comments on all posts on her Instagram page after IG users commented on a photo of Brian Jr. that she posted on National Son’s Day in 2024.
“He’s adorable & I see some demon in those eyes,” one user wrote.
Cole’s sister, Brittany, deleted her X (Twitter) page after her photos went viral on Thursday.
