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A federal judge has refused to order the pretrial release of a man accused of planting two pipe bombs near the nation’s headquarters. democracy and republican A party on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, mob attack on the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ruled Thursday that Brian J. Cole Jr. must remain in jail while awaiting trial. Ali upheld a ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh, who ruled on Jan. 2 that no release conditions could reasonably protect the public from the danger Cole allegedly posed.
Cole, 30, has pleaded not guilty to charges of making and planting two pipe bombs outside the building. republican national committee and Democratic National Committee Headquartered in washingtonOn the evening of January 5, 2021, Washington, DC.
Cole, who lives with his parents in Woodbridge, Virginia, has been diagnosed with autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder. His attorney said he has no criminal record.
Cole has been incarcerated since his arrest on December 4. Authorities said they used phone records and other evidence to identify him as a suspect in a crime that has baffled the FBI for more than four years.
Prosecutors said Cole admitted to trying to commit “an extraordinary act of political violence.” Cole investigators said he was unhappy with how leaders from both parties responded to “questions” about the 2020 presidential election and said “something just blew up,” according to prosecutors.
“While the defendant may have reached a psychological breaking point, his crimes were anything but impulsive,” they wrote. “In fact, the defendants’ pipe bombs—and the fear and terror they instilled in the public—were the product of weeks of premeditation and planning.”
Defense attorneys asked that Cole be released from jail and placed on electronically monitored home detention. They said a defense expert concluded that the devices found near the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters were not viable explosive devices.
“In fact, because these devices are harmless, there is no potential for death, injury, or destruction,” they wrote.
If convicted of both charges against him, Cole faces up to 10 years in prison on one charge and up to 20 years in prison on the second charge, with a mandatory minimum of five years in prison.