U.S. authorities have arrested a suspect accused of planting pipe bombs near the headquarters of both major political parties in Washington, DC, on the night before the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
At a joint press conference on Thursday, the FBI and the Department of Justice identified the suspect as Brian Cole Jr. “Some people may have given up on finding the perpetrator — but not the FBI and not our partners,” said Darren Cox, the FBI’s deputy assistant director, noting that investigators sifted through 3 million lines of data during the probe.
“We do not forget, we do not give up, and we do not relent,” Cox said. “Even after nearly five years, our team continued to analyze enormous amounts of evidence and tips to identify this suspect.”
Officials under President Donald Trump praised the arrest as a success for the current Republican administration and criticized the previous Biden administration’s efforts. FBI Director Kash Patel stated, “We did not discover any new information,” but credited a new team with reexamining evidence that the prior administration “refused and failed to do.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Cole will face charges related to the illegal use of an explosive device, adding that the investigation remains active and more charges may follow.
A Break in a Five-Year Mystery
The arrest may bring closure to a lengthy investigation into what authorities described as a serious threat of political violence. The pipe bombs—though they never detonated—were considered viable and capable of causing significant harm.
Officials had offered a $500,000 reward for information, warning that the suspect could still pose a danger. Early in the case, investigators released surveillance footage of a masked, hooded individual walking through Capitol Hill before placing the explosives near the Democratic and Republican Party offices.
Last year, the FBI reported that its teams had spent “thousands of hours” interviewing witnesses, reviewing evidence, and assessing public tips in an effort to identify the bomber.
The bombs were discovered just hours before rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6 in an attempt to block the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory — a result Trump continues, without evidence, to claim was fraudulent.
After returning to the White House in early 2025, Trump issued pardons for more than 1,500 individuals charged or convicted in connection with the riot.
The unresolved pipe bomb case fueled numerous conspiracy theories, particularly online, including baseless claims that the incident was an “inside job.” Some commentators insisted the bomber was a government agent attempting to smear Trump supporters.
Even some Trump allies who once amplified those theories have since rejected them. Dan Bongino, now the FBI’s second-in-command, recently condemned the rumors as “grossly inaccurate” and warned that such misinformation “only misleads the public.”
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