WASHINGTON (AP) – FBI arrests suspect five years after an unknown person planted two pipe bombs near the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic National parties in Washington.
Agents arrested Brian J. Cole Jr., 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia, on charges related to the bombing. Calls to Cole's relatives listed in public records were not returned.
The secret identity of this man is confusing law enforcement agencies and contributed to the spread of conspiracy theories O January 6, 2021 and the Capitol riot by a mob of President Donald Trump's supporters.
Here's what you need to know about the arrest:
Why now
The FBI and Justice Department declined to say what led them to the suspect. But authorities attributed the arrest to a reopening of the investigation and a new analysis of evidence and data already collected.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said there were no new tips or witnesses that led officials to Cole. “Just good, conscientious work by the police and prosecutors,” she said.
Investigators have been asking for the public's help for years to identify the man shown in surveillance video taken the night before the riot.
They struggled to find answers to basic questions, including the person's gender and motives. They did not know whether the act had a clear connection to the riot at the Capitol a day later, when Trump supporters stormed the building in an attempt to stop certification Republican defeat in 2020 elections Democrat Joe Biden.
Buying pipes and kitchen timers
Law enforcement officers used credit purchases of bomb-making materials, cell tower data and a license plate reader to target Cole, according to an FBI affidavit filed in the case.
According to court documents, his bank account and credit card information showed that in 2019 and 2020 he purchased materials consistent with those used to make homemade bombs. This included galvanized pipes and white kitchen timers, according to the affidavit. Purchases continued even after the devices were placed.
Two explosive devices found at the scene were approximately 1 foot (0.3 meters) long and filled with gunpowder and metal, according to two law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation.
Cole owns a 2017 Nissan Sentra with a Virginia license plate, the affidavit states. At about 7:10 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2021, Cole's vehicle drove past a license plate reader less than a half-mile from where the person who installed the devices was first spotted on foot at about 7:34 p.m. that night, the document states.
Nike shoes
Surveillance video shows the man wearing a light-colored sweatshirt, dark pants and sneakers, with a dark backpack slung over his shoulder. Investigators have long said his gait suggested he was a man, but his face was covered with a surgical mask and hood.
Investigators focused on the suspect's shoes, believed to be Nike Air Max Speed Turfs. Nike told investigators that thousands of pairs were sold through more than two dozen retailers, so agents filed subpoenas for credit card information for Foot Locker and other chains to narrow down the pool of potential buyers.
Motive unclear
Authorities have not disclosed why they believe Cole may have planted explosives in the offices of the Democratic and Republican National Committees.
Other questions remain, including whether the act was related to the attack on the Capitol the next day by Trump supporters.
A classmate called the suspect “nice and quiet”
Key questions remain about the suspect, including possible motives and what connection, if any, the bombing had to the attack on the Capitol the next day by Trump supporters.
He lived with his mother and other family members in a five-bedroom house on a quiet Virginia cul-de-sac, about 30 miles (about 48 kilometers) south of the U.S. Capitol. He has no criminal record and was not registered to vote.
One of four children, he worked in the office of his father, a bail bondsman. His mother works as a realtor.
A classmate who lived in the same area and rode the bus with Cole described him as friendly but said he didn't talk much.
“He didn’t stand out in any way,” said classmates who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being linked to a suspect in a political criminal case. “As far as I remember, he was nice and quiet.”
Court records show Cole's parents divorced in October 2020, just a couple of months before authorities said he planted the bombs.
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Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Alana Durkin Richer, Mike Balsamo, Michael Biesecker and Brian Witte contributed to this report.
