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The man accused of planting pipe bombs outside Democratic and Republican party headquarters five years ago pleaded not guilty during a court appearance Friday.
Brian J. Cole Jr. was arrested by the FBI at his home in Virginia in early December, and faces two counts of transporting and attempting to use explosives.
The suspect was indicted on federal charges this week, Fox 5 reported.
He allegedly admitted to planting unexploded bombs in downtown Washington, D.C., on the eve of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
The feds say the man accused of planting the D.C. pipe bombs confessed, admitting he targeted both parties
Surveillance footage released by the FBI shows the DC tube bombing suspect walking near the DNC on January 5, 2021, along with a photo of accused suspect Brian Cole Jr., who has been ordered held while awaiting trial. (Ministry of Justice)
Although he initially denied investigators, he eventually admitted to planting the bombs when he was reminded that lying was an additional crime after he was shown purported surveillance video of him at the scene, according to the Justice Department.
“According to the defendant, he was not really thinking about how people would react when the bombs exploded, even though he hoped there would be news about them,” court documents said, adding that he said he was “relieved” when he heard they did not explode.
A sketch of Brian Cole Jr.’s first appearance in federal court in Washington, D.C., December 5. Cole is the prime suspect in the DC pipe bombing. (Dana Vercauteren)
Regarding his motivations, Cole said “something happened” after “watching everything, everything getting worse” after the 2020 election, and he wanted to do something “for the parties” because “they were responsible”.
The DC pipe bomb suspect has been identified as Brian Cole Jr
The suspect was seen outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters moments before one of two pipe bombs discovered near the party’s offices in Washington, D.C. (FBI)
“In the end, it was luck, not lack of effort, that the defendant failed to detonate one or both of his devices, and no one was killed or maimed by his actions,” court documents said. “In fact, the defendant admitted that he detonated both devices 60 minutes after setting them up. His failure to achieve his goals does not mitigate the seriousness of his crimes.”
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Cole also continued to purchase bomb-making materials after the failed Jan. 5 attack, prosecutors said.
He faces 10 years in prison on one charge and 20 years if convicted of the second charge.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.