Brian Cole of Virginia was arrested Thursday morning for allegedly planting pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic national headquarters in Washington, D.C., ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, officials announced.
Cole is charged with transporting an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said in a press conference. The arrest concludes a nearly five-year manhunt since the bombs were planted on Jan. 5, 2021, and discovered the next day, preventing detonation.
A search warrant was executed early Thursday morning in the case, Attorney General Pam Bondi said. Law enforcement agents were seen Thursday morning at a Woodbridge home, WUSA and Fox 5 reported. Public records reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation link the address to Cole.
The Trump administration identified the suspect without any new information, officials said. “This cold case languished for four years until [Director Kash Patel] and [Co-Deputy Director Dan Bongino] came to the FBI,” Bondi said. More charges could be on the way as the investigation is ongoing, according to Bondi.
The FBI’s yearslong investigation into the pipe bomb placements involved releasing surveillance materials, offering a six-figure reward for information, interviewing more than a thousand people and assessing hundreds of tips.
Law enforcement discovered the explosives the same day that rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol building — surrounded by FBI agents and informants — to protest the certification of former President Joe Biden’s electoral win, adding to the political turmoil the country faced.
“Though it had been nearly five years, our team continued to churn through massive amounts of data and tips that we used to identify the suspect,” said Darren Cox, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington field office.
“When you let good cops be cops, this is what happens,” Patel said.
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