Accused DC pipe-bomber Brian Cole Jr.’s face was revealed for the first time since he was busted for allegedly planting explosive devices outside the Republican and Democratic National Committees ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.
Cole’s mother shared the smiling picture of him in a blue dress shirt and tie on Instagram for National Son’s Day in September 2024 — more than three years after the alleged attempted bombing.
The Virginia native was busted Thursday morning after FBI investigators descended on his family’s quiet Woodbridge home after the shocking case went cold under the Biden administration.
“Today’s arrest happened because the Trump administration has made this case a priority,” US Attorney Pam Bondi told reporters at a press conference Thursday afternoon.
She stressed that multiple law enforcement agencies spent months combing through evidence to identify a clear lead that allowed the operation to be carried out “safely and successfully.”
“The total lack of movement in this case in our nation’s capital undermined the public trust of our enforcement agencies.”
Bondi added that the evidence the FBI used to track down Cole, 30, was “collecting dust” and wholly disregarded by the Biden administration.
FBI Director Kash Patel, whose agency was at the forefront of the investigation, echoed Bondi’s critiques and alleged that Biden-era officials “refused and failed” to act on the information they’d gathered.
“This is what a focused, disciplined Bureau delivers for the American people,” Patel said.
Cole was charged with the use of an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials. Bondi said that additional charges could be tacked on later in the investigation.
The night before the 2020 electoral votes were certified, a man — now believed to be Cole — was seen stalking around Washington, DC, and planting “viable explosive devices” outside the Republican and Democrats’ respective headquarters.
The devices were uncovered the following afternoon, right as Congress was finalizing the votes – and a swarm of Trump supporters were clambering into the US Capitol.
Under the Biden administration, the FBI offered a $500,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest.
The Trump administration renewed the reward offer in early October alongside the release of a new video showing the suspect walking around a residential DC neighborhood the same night the bombs were planted.
Authorities alleged that Cole purchased items from several retailers around northern Virginia, including eight different Home Depots, a Micro Center, Lowes and Walmart. They believe he started building the bombs in 2019.
The bombs themselves were in 8-inch galvanized steel pipes with the ends capped. They were rigged with nine-volt batteries and white kitchen items, feds claimed.
