Man Suspected of Planting 2 Pipe Bombs Near Capitol Before Jan. 6 Riot Will Remain Detained Until Trial, Judge Rules By Liam Quinn

The suspect accused of planting two pipe bombs near the Capitol the night before the Jan. 6 riot will remain in custody ahead of his criminal trial.

Brian Cole Jr. was arrested on Dec. 4 2025, and charged with two counts related to the bombs — nearly five years after they were planted, the Department of Justice said in a press release.

The bombs discovered never exploded and were found on Jan. 6, 2021, according to the FBI. That same day, a horde of Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building, apparently attempting to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election which was won by Joe Biden.

Cole, a resident of Virginia, is charged with transporting an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of fire and explosive materials, per the release. He has not yet entered a plea.

CBS reported that a federal judge ruled on Friday, Jan. 2 that Cole should remain jailed.

“The government carried its ultimate burden to demonstrate that there are no conditions of release the Court could impose to reasonably assure the safety of the community,” the judge ruled in a 19-page opinion, per the outlet.

“After all, Mr. Cole reportedly stated that he planted the devices — one of them underneath a public bench, no less — hoping they would detonate and that there would be news about it. Mercifully, that did not happen,” the judge wrote. “But if the plan had succeeded, the results could have been devas[ta]ting: creating a greater sense of terror on the eve of a high-security Congressional proceeding, causing serious property damage in the heart of Washington, D.C., grievously injuring DNC or RNC staff and other innocent bystanders, or worse.”

He continued: “Simply put, the nature and circumstances of the charged offenses here are gravely serious, so this factor points strongly toward pretrial detention.”

Previously, the BBC reported that Cole lives with his parents and worked for a bail bond company prior to his arrest, staying under the radar with no criminal history.

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The case befuddled investigators for several years until a suspect was finally identified. According to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE, Cole was identified in part due to his cell phone location being traced to the area where the bombs were ultimately found.

Prosecutors, according to reports from CBS, ABC and NBC Washington, alleged that Cole confessed to planting the bombs following his arrest.

Surveillance footage that circulated after the bombs were found showed a suspect wearing a hoodie, gloves and a face mask. The FBI previously revealed that the suspect used backpacks to carry the explosives. The bombs were placed within 30 minutes of each other.