Authorities have made an arrest in connection with the placement of two pipe bombs outside RNC and DNC headquarters the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
abc7ny.com/post/suspect…
via ABC7NY App— But did you Skeet? (@thepassionittwists.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Let a thousand conspiracy theories bloom… Per Reuters, “FBI charges man with planting pipe bombs on eve of January 6, 2021 Capitol riot”:
The FBI arrested a 30-year-old Virginia man and charged him with planting a pair of pipe bombs in Washington the night before the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump, officials said on Thursday.
The suspect, Brian Cole Jr., of Woodbridge, was charged with use of an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials, Attorney General Pam Bondi and other federal officials told a Washington press conference. Bondi and other officials did not say what motivated the alleged bomber to plant devices outside the Republican and Democratic Party buildings near the Capitol, or reveal what new break in the case led to the arrest nearly five years after the incident…
Police deactivated the bombs the day Trump supporters stormed Congress in an attempt to stop lawmakers from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory. Thousands of rioters stormed the Capitol that day, assaulting about 140 officers and causing more than $2.8 million in damage.
It was unclear if Cole had an attorney. He lives with his parents in Woodbridge, a suburb about 20 miles (32 kilometers) outside Washington, and works for a bail bond company, according to a court filing, which capped a lengthy investigation in which the FBI had long struggled to identify a suspect…
Trump pardoned nearly everyone criminally charged for participating in the riot, some 1,500 people, when he returned to office in January.
The pipe bomb probe was one of a few cases that had drawn significant attention from Trump’s political base, which the FBI’s top two officials, Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, vowed to re-examine…
FBI Says DC Pipe Bomb Suspect Brian Cole Kept Buying Bomb Parts After January 6
Federal agents on Thursday announced the arrest of a suspect charged with planting the two pipe bombs discovered near the US Capitol complex on the eve of January 6, 2021. Authorities identified the man as Brian J.…— Toolcome (@toolcome.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Wired, “FBI Says DC Pipe Bomb Suspect Brian Cole Kept Buying Bomb Parts After January 6”:
… Cole, 30, is charged with transporting an explosive device across state lines with the intent to kill, injure, intimidate, or destroy property and with attempting to damage and destroy the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national committees by means of an explosive device. If convicted, he would face the prospect of decades in prison.
According to an affidavit, investigators linked Cole to the bombs through a combination of surveillance footage, historical cell-site data, and years of purchase records showing he bought each major component used to construct the devices. Agents allege Cole acquired the same model of galvanized pipe, matching end caps, and nine-volt connectors, among other items, across multiple hardware stores in northern Virginia in 2019 and 2020.
Cole continued buying components used in bomb-making after his bombs in the Capitol were discovered, agents allege, listing the purchase of a white kitchen timer and two nine-volt batteries from a Walmart on January 21, as well as galvanized pipes from Home Depot the following day.
Senior Trump administration officials quickly cast the arrest as a vindication of their own leadership, claiming the case had gone cold. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she hoped the arrest would restore public trust following what she characterized as a “total lack of movement” on a case that had “languished for four years.” In their telling, the breakthrough was proof that the case only advanced once they were empowered to “go get the bad guys” and stop “focusing on other extraneous things,” as FBI deputy director Dan Bongino put it…
Identifying the January 6 pipe-bomber became an obsession in large swaths of Trump’s MAGA base in recent years. Indeed, Bongino played a significant role in his previous life as a right-wing influencer in criticizing the agency he now helps lead over its perceived lack of process in the case…
Despite little being known about the suspected bomber, far-right figures online were already speculating on Thursday morning before he was officially named that he was a member of “antifa.” Others simply didn’t believe that the FBI had arrested the right guy: “Let’s see what they’ve got,” Republican congressman Thomas Massie wrote on X, adding, ”I’m not buying it.”
ETA: Just yesterday…
Trump asserts executive privilege to thwart Jan. 6 lawsuit
— Alex Plitsas (@alexplitsas.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 1:21 AM
Lawn Order Open Thread: <em>Look, Over There! An Anarchist Pipe Bomber!</em>Post + Comments (67)
