FBI Makes Arrest in Pipe Bomb Case Tied to US Capitol Riot
A suspect has been taken into custody in connection with pipe bombs planted outside the Democratic and Republican party headquarters in Washington D.C. on the eve of the 6 January 2021, US Capitol riot, reports three major news agencies citing unnamed sources.
The arrest marks a significant breakthrough in an investigation that had long vexed law enforcement agencies, spawned numerous conspiracy theories, and remained a mystery in the shadow of the insurrection at the US Capitol. The suspect, identified as Brian Cole, 30, from suburban Woodbridge, Virginia, was named by the Associated Press, citing three unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
Cole works for a bail bond company and lives with his parents. According to reports, he was wearing distinctive sneakers โ black, gray, and yellow Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes when seen walking through the neighborhood on the day of the incident.
The pipe bombs were discovered safe by police, but authorities have warned that both devices could have been lethal. The then US vice-president-elect, Kamala Harris, had passed within 20ft of one of the explosives outside the DNC headquarters.
Cole was arrested in Virginia and is expected to make an initial court appearance in Washington D.C. earlier this week. The incident has sparked numerous elaborate theories, including one that claimed the pipe bombs were an "inside job" perpetrated by the US government.
In a podcast episode earlier this year, conservative commentator Dan Bongino advanced this theory, stating that he believed the pipe bombs were planted to set up a fake assassination plot on Kamala Harris. However, claims of such result-changing fraud have been unfounded and debunked.
The arrest comes as law enforcement agencies continue to investigate other theories related to the US Capitol riot, including ones linked to a federal security officer who had been cleared of any involvement in the pipe bombs case by producing a video of her playing with her puppies at the time.
A suspect has been taken into custody in connection with pipe bombs planted outside the Democratic and Republican party headquarters in Washington D.C. on the eve of the 6 January 2021, US Capitol riot, reports three major news agencies citing unnamed sources.
The arrest marks a significant breakthrough in an investigation that had long vexed law enforcement agencies, spawned numerous conspiracy theories, and remained a mystery in the shadow of the insurrection at the US Capitol. The suspect, identified as Brian Cole, 30, from suburban Woodbridge, Virginia, was named by the Associated Press, citing three unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
Cole works for a bail bond company and lives with his parents. According to reports, he was wearing distinctive sneakers โ black, gray, and yellow Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes when seen walking through the neighborhood on the day of the incident.
The pipe bombs were discovered safe by police, but authorities have warned that both devices could have been lethal. The then US vice-president-elect, Kamala Harris, had passed within 20ft of one of the explosives outside the DNC headquarters.
Cole was arrested in Virginia and is expected to make an initial court appearance in Washington D.C. earlier this week. The incident has sparked numerous elaborate theories, including one that claimed the pipe bombs were an "inside job" perpetrated by the US government.
In a podcast episode earlier this year, conservative commentator Dan Bongino advanced this theory, stating that he believed the pipe bombs were planted to set up a fake assassination plot on Kamala Harris. However, claims of such result-changing fraud have been unfounded and debunked.
The arrest comes as law enforcement agencies continue to investigate other theories related to the US Capitol riot, including ones linked to a federal security officer who had been cleared of any involvement in the pipe bombs case by producing a video of her playing with her puppies at the time.