Trump DOJ announces arrest of J6 pipe-bomb suspect

Nearly five years after "live, active" pipe bombs were discovered at the RNC and DNC headquarters on January 6, 2021, a suspect is now in custody.

On Thursday, the DOJ announced that 30-year-old Brian Cole Jr. of Woodbridge, Virginia, has been arrested. Cole lives with his mother and other family members and works in the office of a bail bondsman, according to an FBI affidavit.

'Today's arrest happened because the Trump administration has made this case a priority.'

At a press conference alongside Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, and others, D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro revealed that Cole was arrested for allegedly transporting an explosive device in interstate commerce and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials.

Citing the ongoing investigation, the officials shared few details about the sequence of events that led to Cole's arrest, but they insisted that the evidence against Cole was not based on any "new tip," just old-fashioned detective work.

"This wasn't a new tip. It wasn't some new evidence. It was the hard work of President Trump's administration, Deputy Director Bongino, and Director Patel," Bondi reiterated.

"Today's arrest happened because the Trump administration has made this case a priority," Bondi insisted.

"This is what it's like when you work for a president who tells you to go get the bad guys and stop focusing on other extraneous things not related to law enforcement," Bongino added.

Bondi further claimed that under the Biden administration, the evidence was "sitting there, collecting dust." Such "total lack of movement" during the four years under Biden "undermined the public trust of our enforcement agencies," she said.

Bongino did confirm that "forensic evidence" played a role in the arrest, but did not elaborate further. The officials declined to weigh in on a possible motive.

Patel indicated that Cole is believed to have "made [the] bombs," and Bondi stated he was charged with "placing" them at the RNC and DNC on January 5, 2021.

The officials reiterated that further charges may be forthcoming and that the investigation is still in its early stages.

"We are the most transparent law enforcement operation in U.S. history, but we are also going to make sure accountability is delivered to its fullest extent," Patel said. "And that happens in the courts of law, with our U.S. attorneys and our prosecutors. So we will divulge information when it is prudent and constitutionally permissible, while upholding the safeguards of this case, to make sure that the people that this individual intended to victimize get the accountability they deserve."

"He will have his day in court."

Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The FBI affidavit dated Dec. 3 revealed more details about the evidence against Cole. Investigators were able to link materials used in the bombs — including galvanized pipes, end caps, wires, nine-volt battery connectors, and kitchen-style timers — as well as other items that may have been used during the construction process — such as wire nuts, safety glasses, and sandpaper — to purchases made by Cole.

A cell phone connected to Cole also pinged off of multiple cell towers near the RNC and DNC during the time the bombs were believed to have been placed, the affidavit said.

At 7:10 p.m. on January 5, a 2017 Nissan Sentra registered to Cole was likewise observed "less than one-half mile from the location where the individual who placed the devices was first observed on foot ... at 7:34 p.m." The alleged 7:10 p.m. observation of Cole's vehicle came just five minutes before his cell phone "began to interact with Provider towers in the area," 44 minutes before the DNC bomb was allegedly placed, and 66 minutes before the RNC bomb was allegedly placed, the affidavit indicated.

Cole's height and use of eyeglasses also seem to correspond to the suspect spotted on surveillance footage, the affidavit claimed.

A Nov. 8 Blaze News investigation confirmed by several intelligence sources reported that a gait analysis of a former Capitol Police officer was a forensic match to the gait of the long-sought Jan. 6 pipe-bomb suspect. Today, the FBI announced that a Virginia resident, Brian Cole Jr., has been arrested in connection with the pipe-bomb incident. At this point, there is no indication that the individual matched through the gait analysis is a suspect or involved in the FBI’s investigation.

An attorney for the Capitol Police officer has since denied the allegations on her behalf, and CBS News reported that the FBI ruled out her involvement, citing three unidentified sources who said there was a video of her playing with her puppies at the time the device was planted.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!