Federal authorities have finally cracked the case of pipe bombs planted near the US Capitol on January 5, 2021, after nearly five years of investigation. The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Brian J. Cole Jr., a resident of Woodbridge, Virginia, was arrested this week.
According to an FBI affidavit, surveillance footage and historical cell-site data were used to link Cole to the bombs, which were made from threaded metal pipe, a kitchen timer, and homemade black powder. The devices were deemed "viable" by the FBI but it's unclear whether they would have detonated without intervention.
Cole purchased many of the components used in the bomb-making process at multiple hardware stores in northern Virginia in 2019 and 2020. He allegedly continued buying these parts after his bombs were discovered, including a white kitchen timer and two nine-volt batteries from a Walmart on January 21, as well as galvanized pipes from Home Depot the following day.
The arrest marks a significant breakthrough in the case, which had gone cold under previous administrations. Senior Trump administration officials claimed that they had been able to re-engage with the case and bring it to fruition after taking power.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi said she hoped this arrest would restore public trust after what she described as a "total lack of movement" on the case for four years. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino also praised the team's persistence, saying they had continued to work tirelessly despite the case seeming to go cold.
The arrest has been welcomed by many, who have long suspected that the January 6 pipe-bomber was not identified due to a perceived bias against the investigation or due to "inside jobs."
According to an FBI affidavit, surveillance footage and historical cell-site data were used to link Cole to the bombs, which were made from threaded metal pipe, a kitchen timer, and homemade black powder. The devices were deemed "viable" by the FBI but it's unclear whether they would have detonated without intervention.
Cole purchased many of the components used in the bomb-making process at multiple hardware stores in northern Virginia in 2019 and 2020. He allegedly continued buying these parts after his bombs were discovered, including a white kitchen timer and two nine-volt batteries from a Walmart on January 21, as well as galvanized pipes from Home Depot the following day.
The arrest marks a significant breakthrough in the case, which had gone cold under previous administrations. Senior Trump administration officials claimed that they had been able to re-engage with the case and bring it to fruition after taking power.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi said she hoped this arrest would restore public trust after what she described as a "total lack of movement" on the case for four years. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino also praised the team's persistence, saying they had continued to work tirelessly despite the case seeming to go cold.
The arrest has been welcomed by many, who have long suspected that the January 6 pipe-bomber was not identified due to a perceived bias against the investigation or due to "inside jobs."
Can you believe it's taken this long for someone to get caught?! I mean, five years is way too long. It's just common sense, right? You leave pipe bombs near the Capitol and you're basically asking to get caught. Poor guy must've thought he was sneaky or something 
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This is insane! Five years of investigation and they finally caught someone. I'm glad they were able to crack the case, it's crazy how it went cold for so long 
And now everyone can finally breathe a sigh of relief 
what's crazy is how long it took them to catch this dude, five years is insane. I mean I know they had some great surveillance footage and all that but still, i feel bad for the people who got hurt by these homemade bombs. 30 year old Brian Cole Jr. is a pretty young age to be makin' that kinda stuff, hopefully he gets max time tho 
The truth will out! Justice may be slow, but it's never silent 
. It's great to see that justice has finally been served after 5 long years of investigation 
. Whoever was behind the plot thought they could stay under the radar, but now they're paying the price 
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finally some justice! I know it's been ages since those pipe bombs were planted near the US Capitol and people have been wondering what happened to that case 
. It's wild to think about how much longer we could've waited for answers and if someone got hurt 
. I'm glad the FBI was able to re-engage with the case and bring it back to life 
. This arrest is a huge deal for public trust and I'm so relieved it's finally happened 
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. It's also kinda interesting that the Trump administration officials are getting some credit for re-engaging with the case and bringing it to life. Maybe this is one of those cases where you gotta think outside the box or take things from a different angle 
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. Not sure I trust the system as much as I used to...
! i mean, it's crazy that this guy went undetected for so long and had been buying all these bomb-making parts for years... like, what were they waiting for? 
this whole thing has been super suspicious from day one, so i'm glad we're getting some answers 
It's weird that it took a change in administration for the case to get re-engaged - hope this arrest helps restore trust and gets more people talking about what really happened that day... 
it's crazy how one person could cause so much fear and uncertainty, and i'm glad justice has been served 
it's a good thing senior Trump officials were able to step in and re-engage with the case, because for real, four years of nothing being done was way too long 
. Can't imagine what would've happened if the cops didn't find all those receipts 
at Walmart...
. some ppl have been saying there was bias or something but i dont think so, i mean who really knows what happened behind the scenes