DC pipe bomb suspect must remain in jail before trial, judge rules | US Capitol attack
A federal magistrate judge has ruled that the man accused of planting pipe bombs outside Democratic and Republican headquarters the night before the Jan. 6 Capitol attack must remain in custody while awaiting trial.
In a brief opinion, the court determined that Brian Cole Jr., 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia, “presents an intolerable risk of danger to the community if released,” granting the government’s motion for pretrial detention.
The judge wrote that “there are no conditions of release that the court could impose that would reasonably ensure the safety of the community,” despite defense arguments that Cole could be placed on home detention with GPS monitoring.
Cole faces two federal charges stemming from allegations that he constructed, transported and attempted to detonate two improvised explosive devices near party headquarters in Washington on the evening of January 5, 2021. Neither device detonated and Capitol Police safely deactivated them, although the search for the perpetrator has been elusive since.
The charges – transporting explosive devices across state lines with intent to harm and malicious attempt to destroy using explosives – carry stiff penalties, with the latter carrying a potential sentence of 20 years in prison.
Cole’s defense attorneys argued that their client is on the autism spectrum and has “no criminal history” and “no evidence that he would flee” in a recent court filing.
Authorities arrested Cole on Dec. 4, nearly five years after the attempted destruction. During searches of his Woodbridge home, police allegedly discovered several bomb-making components in a bedroom closet, including metal pipes, tips and wire-matching materials used in the 2021 devices.
According to court filings, Cole’s cell phone interacted with five cell towers located near the headquarters of both parties at the time the devices were planted. A license plate reader also captured his vehicle leaving Interstate 395 in the area around 7:10 p.m. that evening.
Financial records allegedly showed that Cole purchased almost all of the components used to build the bombs from retail locations in Northern Virginia throughout 2019 and 2020. Prosecutors noted that he continued to purchase similar materials until August 2022, after the attempted attack.
In a video interview after his arrest, Cole initially denied any involvement before admitting that he was the individual captured in the surveillance footage, according to Justice Department documents. After officers reminded him that lying was an additional offense and asked him again if he was the person in the video, Cole “paused for approximately 15 seconds, placed his head face down on the table and responded ‘yes,'” court documents state.
Cole allegedly told investigators that he went to Washington to protest the outcome of the 2020 election and wanted to take action against the parties because “they were in charge.” When asked why he targeted seats from both parties, he replied: “I really don’t like either party at this point. »
