Brian Cole, 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia, was taken into custody last Thursday and charged with use of an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials.

According to federal investigators, Cole admitted to planting pipe bombs at the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters on January 5, 2021, the night before the Capitol riot.

Court documents and public records indicate that the FBI had information identifying Cole as the suspect as early as April 2021.

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The January 6 Select Committee, chaired by Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk, released its pipe bomb report and compared its findings with the affidavit produced by the FBI.

The report stated that “[in] April 2021, the case team identified a [redacted] user who was in the area of the DNC at the time the suspect can be seen on video footage using their phone. The FBI requested and received the ‘historical cell tower data’ for the user and as of April 2021, the case team was attempting to ‘further analyze’ the user’s movements. It is ultimately unclear what happened with respect to this lead.”

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The affidavit released by the FBI described Cole’s phone movements and financial activity.

“Provider records show that the COLE CELLPHONE connected with Provider cell phone towers consistent with the COLE CELLPHONE being in the area of the RNC and DNC on January 2, 2021. The COLE CELLPHONE engage in approximately seven data session transactions with Provider towers between 7:39 p.m. and 8:24 p.m. Provider’s historical cell site data shows the specific tower for each of the transactions along with the sector of the tower that engaged in the transaction with the COLE CELLPHONE,” the filing said.

The affidavit also documented investigators’ review of Cole’s bank and credit card activity.

“The FBI has identified one bank checking account and six credit cards (the ‘Accounts’) used by COLE. The FBI obtained records for the checking account and three credit cards for the time period January 2018 to January 2021. Three additional credit cards were obtained for the time period of January 2018 to November 2025. The FBI reviewed the transaction history for all of these Accounts.”

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FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino stated that investigators solved the case without any new evidence.

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Officials said the suspect’s location data and financial records provided the basis for identifying Cole in connection with the devices placed outside the two political headquarters.

Cole’s arrest came nearly five years after the bombs were discovered on January 6, 2021.

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The devices were located outside the RNC and DNC buildings and prompted evacuations in the surrounding areas.

The FBI later confirmed that both devices were rendered safe by law enforcement.

Cole’s family described him as an “autistic recluse” and a “computer nerd” who lived in the basement of his parents’ home in Woodbridge, Virginia.

His grandmother told the Daily Mail that he had no party affiliation and that he was not a supporter of President Trump.

Cole appeared in federal court on Friday for an initial hearing before a magistrate judge in Washington, D.C. Further proceedings in the case are pending.

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