Overview
- A Justice Department filing says Brian J. Cole Jr. confessed after his Dec. 4 arrest to placing pipe bombs outside the RNC and DNC to “speak up” for people who believed the 2020 election was stolen and he denied targeting Congress or the Jan. 6 certification.
- Prosecutors say he set 60‑minute timers on both devices, described them as intended to detonate, later said he was relieved they did not explode, and claimed he planted them at night to avoid killing people.
- Investigators cite purchases of pipes, end caps, timers, wiring, and black‑powder ingredients, surveillance footage, cell‑site data, a license‑plate reader hit near the scene, and materials seized from his home and car.
- Court documents highlight 943 factory resets or wipes of Cole’s phone from December 2020 through December 2025, including one about three hours before his arrest.
- Cole was arrested in Woodbridge, Virginia, on federal explosives charges including transporting an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction, and a detention hearing is set for Dec. 30 in Washington.