The man suspected of planting pipe bombs in Washington, DC in 2021 confessed after his arrest that “something just snapped” and wanted to target the Democratic and Republican parties because “they were in charge,” federal prosecutors said in court documents released Dec. 28.
Brian Cole Jr., 30, was arrested earlier this month and charged with transporting and planting two pipe bombs. Prosecutors accused Cole of planting two pipe bombs near the offices of the Democratic and Republican National Committees the night before the January 6, 2021 riots at the US Capitol.
The devices, which were discovered on the day of the attack, did not detonate and no one was injured, federal authorities previously said. Following a nearly five-year investigation, US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on December 4 that Cole had been taken into custody.
He made his first court appearance in District of Columbia District Court on Dec. 5 and was ordered held without bail. In a memo filed Dec. 28, the Justice Department asked Cole to stay behind bars while he awaits trial. A detention hearing is scheduled for Dec. 30.
The memo also provided a detailed account of statements, including a confession, that Cole allegedly made after his arrest. Prosecutors argued that Cole poses an “intolerable risk of danger” to the community and must remain in custody pending trial.
“The defendant’s choice of targets risked the lives not only of innocent pedestrians and office workers, but also of law enforcement, first responders, and national political leaders who were in or passing by that party’s headquarters on January 6, 2021, including the Vice President-elect and Speaker of the House,” prosecutors wrote.
Conspiracy theories surrounding the case: Senior Trump FBI officials have claimed that the pipe bombs were an “inside job” by the FBI.
“I really don’t like any parties right now”
Cole was arrested on the morning of Dec. 4 at his home in Woodbridge, Virginia, a town about 25 miles from Washington, DC, according to authorities. The memo states that after his arrest, Cole was interviewed by investigators for hours and initially denied manufacturing, transporting and planting the pipe bombs.
When investigators asked him about his whereabouts on January 5, 2021, Cole said he drove alone to Washington, DC to attend a protest related to the 2020 election, the memo added.
“I didn’t agree with what people were doing, like just telling half the country that they — that they — just ignore it. I didn’t think it was a good idea, so I went to the protest,” the memo said, citing Cole.
But as the interview continued, prosecutors alleged that Cole confessed to traveling to Washington, DC, to place the two bombs outside the RNC and DNC. He also reportedly told investigators that if people feel that “something as important as voting in a federal election is being rigged … then, like, somebody has to speak up, right?
“The defendant believed that ‘people at the top’, including ‘people on both sides, public figures’, should not ‘ignore.'[e] people’s grievances’ or call them ‘conspiracy theorists’, ‘bad people’, ‘Nazis’ or ‘fascists,'” the note continued.
After investigators questioned Cole’s motive, Cole said “something just snapped” after “he looked at everything, it just kept getting worse” and that he wanted to do something to “the parties” because “they were in charge,” according to the notice.
Prosecutors added that when Cole was asked why he placed the devices at the RNC and DNC, he replied, “I really don’t like either party right now.”
The suspect told investigators he was “quite relieved” the bombs did not explode
According to the memo, Cole also detailed to investigators during the interview the construction, transportation and planting of the bombs. He told investigators he made the black powder using charcoal, sulfur dust and potassium nitrate he bought at Lowe’s Home Improvement.
Cole said he learned how to make the black powder from a video game and by watching science-related videos on YouTube, the memo states. Prosecutors said he then assembled the bombs “over several hours” before driving to Washington, DC, on January 5, 2021.
“The defendant placed one of the devices in his backpack, got out of the car and headed to the DNC. He set the timer on the first device to its maximum duration (60 minutes) and planted the device near the DNC,” according to the memo. “The defendant then returned to his car, retrieved the second device and placed it in his backpack and drove to the RNC where he set the timer for 60 minutes and planted the device.”
Later in the interview, the memo states that Cole said he did not test the pipe bombs before planting them. The note added that when Cole found out the bombs had not detonated, he “was ‘quite relieved’ and stated that he placed the devices at night because he did not want to kill people.”
Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund and Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DC bomb suspect confesses to planting explosives: court documents