DC pipe bomb suspect must remain in jail before trial, judge rules | US Capitol attack
A federal magistrate judge ruled that the man accused of planting pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican headquarters the night before the Jan. 6 Capitol attack should remain in custody while awaiting trial.
One memorandum opinionRuling that Brian Cole Jr., 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia, “poses an intolerable risk of danger to the community if released,” the court granted the government’s request for pretrial detention.
Despite defense arguments that Cole could be placed under home surveillance through GPS monitoring, “there are no conditions of release that the court can impose to reasonably ensure the safety of the community,” the judge wrote.
Cole faces two federal charges stemming from allegations that he constructed, transported and attempted to detonate two improvised explosive devices near party headquarters in Washington on the evening of Jan. 5, 2021. Neither device exploded, and Capitol police safely disabled both, but the perpetrator has remained elusive ever since.
The charges include carrying explosive devices across state lines with intent to cause harm and attempted malicious destruction using explosives, with the latter carrying a potential 20-year prison sentence.
Cole’s defense attorneys argued that their client was on the autism spectrum and had “zero criminal history” and “zero evidence that he would flee.” final court application.
Authorities arrested Cole on December 4, nearly five years after the demolition attempt. During a search of his Woodbridge home, police reportedly found various bomb-making components in a bedroom closet, including metal tubing, end caps and wire matching materials used in the 2021 devices.
According to court records, Cole’s cell phone was interacting with five cell towers near both party headquarters during the time period when the devices were deployed. A license plate reader also recorded his vehicle leaving the area on Interstate 395 around 7:10 p.m. that evening.
Financial records allegedly show Cole purchased nearly all of the components used to make the bomb at northern Virginia retail locations throughout 2019 and 2020. Prosecutors noted that Cole continued to purchase similar items after the attempted attack until August 2022.
In a video interview following his arrest, Cole initially denied involvement before admitting he was the person captured on security cameras, according to justice department documents. After agents reminded him that lying is an additional offense and asked again if he was the person in the video, Cole “paused for approximately 15 seconds, placed his head face down on the table, and responded ‘yes,'” according to court documents.
Cole reportedly told investigators he went to Washington to protest the 2020 election results and wanted to take action against the parties because “they were responsible.” When asked why he targeted the headquarters of both parties, he said: “I really don’t like either party at this point.”
