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FBI A suspect has been arrested five years after an unidentified man placed two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties Washington,
Agents arrested Brian J., 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia. Cole Jr. arrested on explosives charges. Calls to Cole’s relatives listed in public records were not immediately returned.
The mystery behind the man’s identity has entangled law enforcement and helped fuel conspiracy theories about the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot by a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump.
Here’s what you need to know about the arrest:
why now
FBI and Justice Department He declined to elaborate on what led them to the suspect. But officials credited the arrests to a strong investigation and new analysis of previously collected evidence and data.
Attorney General palm bondi Said there were no new leads or witnesses that led authorities to Cole. “Just good, diligent police work and prosecutorial work,” he said.
Over the past few years, investigators have asked for the public’s help in identifying a man shown in surveillance video taken the night before the riot.
They struggled to determine answers to basic questions including the person’s gender and motive. He did not know whether the act had any apparent connection to the riot at the Capitol a day later, when Trump’s supporters stormed the building to stop the certification of the Republican’s 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
Purchase of pipe and kitchen timer
According to an FBI affidavit filed in the case, law enforcement officials used credit purchases of bomb-making materials, cellphone tower data and a license plate reader to target Cole.
According to court papers, his bank account and credit card information show he purchased materials consistent with those used to make pipe bombs in 2019 and 2020. According to the affidavit, it included galvanized pipes and white kitchen-style timers. Purchasing continued even after the equipment was placed.
According to two law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation, the two explosive devices found at the scene were about 1 foot (0.3 m) long and filled with gunpowder and metal.
The affidavit states Cole owns a 2017 Nissan Sentra with Virginia license plates. The document states that on January 5, 2021, at approximately 7:10 p.m., Cole’s vehicle passed a license plate reader less than half a mile from where the person carrying the device was first seen walking on foot at approximately 7:34 p.m. that night.
Nike shoes
Surveillance video shows the man wearing a light sweatshirt, dark pants and sneakers, and a dark backpack slung over one shoulder. Investigators have long said the trick showed the person was a man, but his face was hidden by a surgical mask and hood.
Investigators focused some attention on the suspect’s shoes, which are believed to be Nike Air Max Speed Turfs. Nike told investigators that thousands of pairs were distributed through more than two dozen retailers and so agents filed subpoenas for credit card records from Foot Locker and other chains to narrow down potential buyers.
motive unclear
Authorities have not disclosed why they think Cole may have planted explosives in the offices of the Democratic and Republican national committees.
Other questions remain, including whether the act was connected to the attack on the Capitol the next day by Trump’s supporters.
Classmate described suspect as ‘well-behaved and quiet’
Key questions remain about the suspect, including a possible motive and what connection, if any, the act of placing the bomb has to the attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters the next day.
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 bailiff. His mother works as a realtor.
A classmate who lived in the same neighborhood and rode the bus with Cole described him as friendly but said he did not talk much.
“He didn’t stand out,” the classmate said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of concerns about his name being linked to a suspect in a politically charged criminal case. “As far as I remember, he was well-behaved and calm.”
Court records show Cole’s parents divorced in October 2020, just months before authorities accused him of planting the bomb.
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Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Alana Durkin Richer, Mike Balsamo, Michael Biesecker and Brian Witte contributed to this report.