Nearly five years after two pipe bombs were quietly planted near the headquarters of America’s major political parties, investigators say the man accused of leaving them behind has admitted responsibility.
Court records made public this week state that Brian Cole, a 30-year-old from Virginia, told federal investigators he placed the explosive devices outside the Democratic and Republican national committee offices in Washington on the night of January 5, 2021. Neither device detonated.
According to the filing, Cole said he believed the 2020 presidential election had been “tampered with,” and described reaching a breaking point. Investigators quote him as saying “something just snapped,” adding that he wanted to act against both political parties because of what he viewed as their outsized influence on public life. “I really don’t like either party at this point,” he reportedly told agents.
The disclosure comes as authorities push to keep Cole in custody ahead of trial. A court hearing on the issue is scheduled in Washington this week.
The bombs were discovered around 1 p.m. on January 6, 2021—just as a crowd of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol—forcing police to divert resources at a critical moment. Investigators say Cole later insisted the bomb placements were not intended to coincide with Congress’s certification of the election results the following day.
Initially, Cole denied any role in planting the devices, telling agents he had traveled to Washington to attend a protest backing Trump’s unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud. He later reversed course, according to investigators, and acknowledged placing the explosives.
He now faces two charges related to explosives and has yet to enter a plea.
Cole’s arrest earlier this month followed a renewed push by senior FBI officials to re-examine a case that had long frustrated investigators and fueled speculation across the political spectrum.
