Jan. 6 pipe bomb suspect says he acted to “speak up” for election deniers

The man who allegedly planted two pipe bombs in Washington, DC, the night before the January 6 Capitol riot told investigators after his arrest earlier this month that someone needed to “speak up” for people who believed that the 2020 election was stolen, according to a court filing on Sunday. 

Federal prosecutors said that the defendant, Brian Cole, felt “extreme acts of violence” were necessary as Cole told them he placed the bombs near the RNC and DNC headquarters because “they were in charge.” 

The bombs were not discovered until the afternoon of January 6 and did not detonate. Following his arrest this December, Cole initially denied making or planting the bombs but later confessed to transporting and planting two improvised explosive devices when presented with evidence of himself on surveillance video. In the filing, the Justice Department requested that Cole be detained until his trial, as his offense is listed as a federal terrorism crime. 

Cole told investigators that although he “has never really been an openly political person,” he felt “like something was wrong” in the 2020 election and began following discussions on YouTube and Reddit. He said that “the people up top,” including “people on both sides, public figures,” should not “ignore people’s grievances” or call them “conspiracy theorists,” “bad people,” “Nazis,” or “fascists.”

“If people feel that their votes are like just being thrown away, then…at the very least someone should address it,” Cole was quoted as telling investigators. 

These events came as Trump repeatedly lied about winning the presidential election. 

Cole denied that his actions were “directed toward Congress or related to the proceedings scheduled to take place on January 6.” The election was being certified that day when rioters stormed the Capitol building, halting the count of Electoral College ballots.

According to the court filing, Cole bought many items needed to construct the bombs between 2018 and 2020. He told investigators that the idea to use pipe bombs came from his interest in the Troubles, a three-decade conflict in Northern Ireland beginning in the 1960s over whether it would remain within the United Kingdom or unite with Ireland as a single state. Bombings of public places, including detonating pipe bombs, were common.

Cole drove about 25 miles to Washington from his home in Woodbridge, Virginia, on January 5, 2021, with the bombs. He said that he planted them at night because he did not want to kill or seriously injure people and was “pretty relieved” that they did not detonate. 

“Ultimately, it was luck, not lack of effort, that the defendant failed to detonate one or both of his devices and that no one was killed or maimed due to his actions,” Assistant US Attorney Charles Jones wrote in the filing. “His failure to accomplish his objectives does not mitigate the profoundly dangerous nature of his crimes.”

Jones highlighted that “the Vice President-elect and Speaker of the House,” as well as law enforcement, first responders, and political leaders, drove by the pipe bombs before they were discovered.