The FBI made an arrest Thursday in its investigation of pipe bombs placed at the Republican and Democratic headquarters on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, ending the search for a suspect who evaded law enforcement for nearly five years.
The suspect is Brian Cole of Woodbridge, Virginia, according to an FBI source who spoke with The Washington Times.
Charges against the suspect were not disclosed. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel planned to hold a press conference on the arrest Thursday afternoon.
Surveillance footage shared by the FBI showed the suspect placing bombs outside the Democratic National Committee and in an alley behind the Republican National Committees in the nation’s capital.
Then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris walked past one of the hidden bombs on Jan. 6, 2021, and was at the DNC as the device sat idle. She was evacuated after authorities spotted the bomb along the building’s perimeter.
None of the explosives were detonated, but federal officials said the bombs were active and capable of lethal damage.
The lack of leads into who set the explosives became the source of conspiracy theories about the suspect’s intent and potential connection to the riot. Before Dan Bongino became the second in command at the FBI, he had suggested the bombs were part of an “inside job.”
“There is a massive cover-up, because the person who planted those pipe bombs — they don’t want you to know who it was, because it’s either a connected anti-Trump insider, or this was an inside job,” Mr. Bongino said in November 2024. “Those bombs were planted there. This was a setup. I have zero doubt … And whoever goes into FBI … you better get an answer … about why.”
The only publicly available information on the suspect was a grainy still frame from a surveillance video, which showed the suspect wearing a hoodie, glasses, gloves and a face mask as they walked away from both political offices.
The House Administration and Judiciary subcommittees released early this year a report on the pipe bombs that detailed how the FBI conducted nearly 1,000 interviews; issued geofence warrants, which require telecommunication providers to provide location data on devices; analyzed cellphone tower data; and looked into the source of the devices’ components.
Investigators even zeroed-in on the suspect’s distinctive Nike sneakers to see who had purchased those around the time the bombs were placed, according to the report.
The congressional report also said at least 10 Secret Service agents and two canine units came within feet of the pipe bomb before Ms. Harris’ arrival at the DNC but failed to discovered the explosives.
“U.S.Capitol Police failed to properly secure and maintain a perimeter around the pipe bombs despite multiple orders to do so, allowing pedestrians and vehicular traffic to cross within feet of the explosive devices,” the report said, adding that law enforcement allowed the motorcade of the House speaker to drive through an active bomb scene, risking the speaker’s safety.
Despite the FBI offering a $500,000 reward for information on the suspect, the investigation kept hitting dead ends until the arrest was announced Thursday.
