Overview
- Brian Cole Jr., 30, was arrested Dec. 4 in Woodbridge, Virginia, and is charged with transporting an explosive device in interstate commerce and attempted malicious destruction.
- An FBI affidavit cites credit card buys of components, cell‑site records near the DNC and RNC, and a license‑plate reader as key links that produced probable cause.
- Agents searched Cole’s home with bomb technicians and seized materials for lab testing, including items collected in metal paint cans commonly used to preserve explosive residues.
- Media reports say Cole spoke with investigators, with sources describing admissions and statements questioning the 2020 election outcome, while his grandmother says he is not politically affiliated.
- A House subcommittee report and new coverage note the FBI linked a user’s phone to the area in April 2021, as separate disputes persist over earlier claims of corrupted carrier data in the stalled probe.