Federal prosecutors have revealed that the man accused of planting pipe bombs outside the headquarters of both major US political parties the day before the January 6 Capitol riot told investigators 'something just snapped' following the 2020 presidential election.
Motive Revealed in Court Filing
According to a new filing from US Attorney Jeanine Pirro, Brian J. Cole Jr., 30, confessed that he felt compelled to act after 'watching everything, just everything getting worse' in the wake of the vote. Cole, who was arrested earlier this month, is charged with transporting explosives across state lines and attempting to use the bombs to damage or destroy property.
He allegedly told investigators he targeted the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Republican National Committee (RNC) headquarters because 'they were in charge'. Cole admitted he travelled to Washington D.C. specifically to plant the devices, not to attend the pro-Trump protest as he initially claimed.
From Denial to Admission
The court documents detail a pivotal moment in Cole's interrogation. After initially denying involvement, investigators showed him surveillance footage of the suspect wearing distinctive Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes. Cole admitted he 'used to have a pair' but had thrown them away. When agents warned that lying could bring additional charges, he paused for approximately 15 seconds, placed his head face down on the table, and answered 'yes'.
Despite this admission, Cole denied the bombs were directed at Congress or linked to the certification of Electoral College votes. He claimed the idea to use pipe bombs came from his interest in history, specifically the Troubles in Ireland.
Construction and Placement of the Devices
Cole provided investigators with a detailed account of how he built and placed the explosive devices. He stated he learned how to make the black powder from a video game listing ingredients, supplementing this with science videos on YouTube.
On 5 January 2021, he transported the pipe bombs to D.C. inside a shoebox in his Nissan Sentra. Wearing a mask, hood, and gloves to avoid identification, he used Google Maps to locate the party headquarters. He placed one device near the DNC, setting its kitchen timer to the maximum 60 minutes, before retrieving the second bomb from his car and repeating the process at the RNC. The FBI has stated the 'viable' devices could have seriously injured or killed innocent bystanders, but they did not detonate.
Evidence linking Cole to the crime includes:
- Purchases on his accounts for materials like galvanised pipes, end caps, and timers between 2019-2020.
- His phone connecting to cell towers covering both the DNC and RNC on the evening of the bombings.
- His vehicle being captured by a licence plate reader near the bomb sites about 20 minutes before the planting was seen on video.
Prosecution Seeks Detention Ahead of Trial
The Justice Department is now seeking to detain Cole pending trial, arguing there is an 'intolerable risk' he will again resort to violence to express his frustration. Cole, who described himself as not openly political, told agents he acted because he believed someone needed to 'speak up' for people who felt the 2020 election was stolen.
After seeing himself on the news, Cole reportedly discarded all his bomb-making materials at a nearby dump. He is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
