In a court appearance on Friday, the individual charged with placing pipe bombs outside the headquarters of both the Democratic and Republican parties five years ago entered a plea of not guilty.
Brian J. Cole, Jr., who was apprehended by the FBI at his Virginia residence in early December, is facing two charges related to the transportation and attempted use of explosives.
According to a report by FOX 5, Cole was formally charged with federal offenses earlier this week.
Cole is accused of admitting to the placement of the bombs, which did not detonate, in downtown Washington, D.C., on the eve of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The FBI has released surveillance footage showing the alleged DC pipe bomber walking near the Democratic National Committee headquarters on January 5, 2021. This footage was compared with a photo of the suspect, Brian Cole Jr., who is now being held in custody pending trial. (Department of Justice)
Initially, Cole reportedly denied any involvement when questioned by investigators. However, according to the Justice Department, he eventually confessed to setting the bombs after being confronted with the implications of making false statements and shown surveillance footage purportedly capturing him at the scene.
“According to the defendant, he was not really thinking about how people would react when the bombs detonated, although he hoped there would be news about it,” court documents said, adding that he said he was “relieved” when he heard they hadn’t detonated.
Sketch of Brian Cole Jr. first federal court appearance in Washington D.C., Dec. 5. Cole is the lead suspect in the DC pipe bombing. (Dana Verkouteren)
Regarding his motive, Cole said “something just snapped” after “watching everything, just everything getting worse” after the 2020 election, and he wanted to do something, “to the parties” because “they were in charge.”
The suspect is seen outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters moments before placing one of two pipe bombs discovered near party offices in Washington, D.C. (FBI)
“Ultimately, it was luck, not lack of effort, that the defendant failed to detonate one or both of his devices and that no one was killed or maimed due to his actions,” court documents said. “Indeed, the defendant admitted that he set both devices to detonate 60 minutes after he placed them. His failure to accomplish his objectives does not mitigate the profoundly dangerous nature of his crimes.”
Cole also continued to purchase bomb-making materials following the failed Jan. 5 attack, prosecutors said.
He faces 10 years in prison for one charge and 20 years in prison if convicted of the second charge.
