A Virginia man accused of planting pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters the night before January 6, 2021, confessed to investigators that the devices were not intended to target Congress or disrupt the certification of the election, according to a new court filing.
Prosecutors say Brian Cole admitted during a multi-hour interview following his December 4 arrest that he placed the devices after initially denying involvement. Cole described himself as not strongly political but said that after the 2020 election he became absorbed in online content and felt “something was wrong,” believing voters who thought their ballots were “just being thrown away” were being ignored.
According to the filing, Cole said he targeted the RNC and DNC because he “really don’t like either party at this point,” explaining that his interest in historical conflicts influenced his decision to use pipe bombs. He denied any connection between his actions and the January 6 congressional proceedings.
After seeing himself in FBI surveillance images, Cole allegedly discarded his bomb-making materials and never disclosed his actions, while also repeatedly wiping data from his cellphone. Cole is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday at 1 p.m. for a detention hearing.
