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Nearly five years after pipe bombs were found outside Republican and Democratic party headquarters in Washington, D.C., ahead of the January 6 Capitol riot, the FBI has finally arrested a suspect.
The FBI’s arrest follows a years-long manhunt paired with intense online speculation about the pipe bomber’s identity. The Justice Department announced the arrest at a press conference Thursday afternoon, revealing that the suspect was not identified as a result of new evidence coming to light but rather due to renewed investigative work based on the existing evidence. The suspect has been identified as Brian Cole of Virginia but authorities did not provide any details as to his motive.
“The FBI examined every piece of information available, leveraged new technology, brought in experts from around the country, and methodically developed the evidence needed to nail this suspect,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.
“This breakthrough didn’t come from new tips, it came from relentless FBI work.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Cole was charged with the use of an explosive device. She said the investigation is ongoing and more search warrants are being executed.
The pipe bombs were placed outside the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee on January 5, 2021, but did not go off. Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who had yet to assume her position, visited the DNC on January 6 and walked an estimated 20 feet from the pipe bomb.
Secret Service personnel failed to detect the pipe bomb before Harris’s visit, an internal Department of Homeland Security watchdog found last year. Federal law enforcement’s failure to quickly remove the pipe bombs and subsequent inability to find the suspect for an extended period of time made the pipe bomber’s identity the subject of online fervor. Had they gone off, the pipe bombs could have seriously injured or killed innocent bystanders.
The FBI previously released footage of the suspect planting the bombs and sought help from the American people to find the suspect. In 2023, the bureau raised its award total to $500,000 for anyone who provided information leading to the suspect’s arrest. The suspect can be seen in the FBI’s grainy footage wearing a hoodie, mask, and gloves to conceal their identity.
The FBI conducted over 1,000 interviews and reviewed thousands of video files over the course of its investigation. Between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. the night before the riot, the suspect placed the bombs, which were not discovered until 15 hours later.
Last month, the FBI debunked a speculative news report in The Blaze accusing a female former Capitol police officer of being the bomber. Primarily based on “gait analysis” and a review of video evidence, The Blaze’s story was widely circulated online and caught the attention of Republican lawmakers. Video footage of the woman playing with her puppies when the pipe bombs were placed cleared her name, CBS News reported.
The mysterious case of who planted the pipe bombs has been fodder for online conspiracy theorists within the MAGA movement. Solving the case has been a priority for FBI deputy director Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and MAGA commentator who discussed theories about the pipe bomber on his show.
“You’re not going to walk into our capital city down to explosive devices and walk off in the sunset,” Bongino said. “Not going to happen — we were going to track this person to the end of the earth. There was no way he was getting away.”
An affidavit filed in the criminal case against Cole provided more information about how the FBI used bank records and phone records to link Cole to the components of the pipe bombs.
“During 2019 and 2020, COLE purchased multiple items consistent with the components that were used to manufacture the pipe bombs placed at the RNC and DNC. COLE used the Accounts to purchase these items from physical retail locations in northern Virginia,” the affidavit reads.
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