Brian Cole, 30, pleaded not guilty to two federal explosives charges after being accused of leaving pipe bombs outside the DNC and RNC headquarters on Jan. 5, 2021. The devices did not detonate and were discovered the next day before the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Cole faces counts of interstate transportation of explosives and malicious attempt to use explosives and has been ordered detained pending trial. Prosecutors say he confessed after his arrest following a renewed FBI evidence review, though he denies the placement was tied to the election certification.
Pipe Bomb Suspect Brian Cole Pleads Not Guilty to Two Explosives Charges
A suspect in the planting of explosive devices near the Democratic and Republican committee headquarters in Washington is seen walking past the Capitol Hill Club, also known as the National Republican Club of Capitol Hill, in Washington in this still frame taken from video released on March 9, 2021. FBI/Handout via REUTERS
Brian Cole, 30, pleaded not guilty on Friday to two explosives-related federal charges after being accused of leaving pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican national committees the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Dressed in a tan prison jumpsuit, Cole entered the plea himself during a brief hearing in federal court in Washington. The devices did not detonate and were discovered the next day shortly before supporters of then-President Donald Trump moved toward the nearby Capitol in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 election results.
Charges And Detention
Cole is charged with interstate transportation of explosives and malicious attempt to use explosives. A judge ordered him held without bond pending trial, finding there is evidence he poses a danger to public safety.
Investigation And Arrest
FBI investigators spent nearly five years attempting to identify a suspect. Cole was arrested and charged last month after a fresh review of evidence was ordered by senior Trump appointees at the FBI. According to prosecutors, Cole gave a detailed confession in an interview with FBI agents after his arrest, expressing dissatisfaction with both major political parties and echoing false claims of election tampering in 2020.
In the same interview, prosecutors say, Cole denied that placing the devices was tied to Congress' certification of the election or the events that unfolded at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
The case remains under investigation and is being prosecuted in federal court. (Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; editing by Deepa Babington.)
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