Suspect confessed he planted 6 Jan pipe bombs, prosecutors say
The man accused of planting pipe bombs in Washington, D.C., the night before the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, confessed to assembling and planting the two improvised explosive devices (IEDs), according to a new court filing.
Brian Cole Jr., 30, told federal agents he planted the bombs outside the national headquarters of the Republican and Democratic parties, prosecutors said in the filing released Sunday.
Mr Cole, who has not pleaded guilty, allegedly told officers “something broke” inside him after “watching everything, everything was getting worse”.
He denied his actions were related to Congress’ certification of the 2020 election results, which inspired the riot.
Mr. Cole told agents, according to the filing, that someone needed to “speak up” on behalf of people who “feel that, you know, something as important as voting in federal elections is being tampered with.”
He added that “people at the top,” including “people on both sides, public figures,” should not ignore people’s grievances or label them as “conspiracy theorists,” “bad people,” “Nazis” or “fascists,” according to the filing.
Yet Mr. Cole said he “was never really an overtly political person,” according to the filing.
Mr. Cole was first arrested on December 4 and charged with using an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials, capping a five-year investigation that the Trump administration said had gone unanswered.
Law enforcement discovered the bombs, which never exploded, amid violent protests aimed at stopping Congress from certifying that President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election to former President Joe Biden. But there has never been a clear link to the protests, and the possible motive – or culprit – for the crime remains a mystery.
In the latest filing, prosecutors said that after Mr. Cole’s arrest, he initially denied being involved in planting the explosives. But after hours of interrogation, he finally lowered his head to the table and said “yes,” he was behind the bombs.
Asked why he placed them outside party headquarters, Mr. Cole responded, according to the filing: “I really don’t like either party at this point.”
He added that he got the idea from his interest in history, particularly the Troubles in Ireland, according to the filing.
Mr. Cole also told agents that after months of purchasing bomb components and learning how to assemble them from YouTube videos and video games, he did not test the devices before planting them, prosecutors said.
He was “quite relieved” that they didn’t explode because he “didn’t want to kill people,” according to the filing.
“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 as a result of his actions,” prosecutors wrote.
But they added: “His failure to achieve his goals does not mitigate the profoundly dangerous nature of his crimes. »
Prosecutors say they have “overwhelming evidence” of Mr. Cole’s guilt, including credit card purchases of bomb-making materials and bomb components found in his home. Mr Cole also wiped his personal cellphone almost a thousand times in the five years after the planned attack, they said.
The BBC has contacted Mr Cole’s lawyer for comment. Mr. Cole has not yet entered a plea.
