Virginia man charged with planting pipe bombs in Washington on eve of Capitol riot appears in court

WASHINGTON — A Virginia man on Friday made his first court appearance on charges that he planted a pair of pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties in Washington on the eve of a mob’s attack on U.S. Capitol.

U.S. Magistrate Moxila Upadhyaya ordered Brian Cole Jr. to remain in jail a day after his arrest on explosives charges. He is due back in court Dec. 15 for a detention hearing. He did not enter a plea.

An FBI affidavit says investigators identified Cole as a suspect through analysis of credit card charges related to the purchase of pipe bomb components, cellphone towers and a license plate reader.

Cole, 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia, confessed to the Jan. 5, 2021, act in interviews with investigators, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Cole also indicated that he believed the 2020 election was stolen and expressed views supportive of President Donald Trump, said the people, who were not authorized to discuss by name an ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Nobody was hurt before the bombs were rendered safe, but the FBI has said both devices could have been lethal.

Federal authorities have not publicly disclosed any information about a possible motive or whether there is any connection to the attack on the Capitol the following day by Trump supporters.

The arrest marks the first time investigators have publicly identified a suspect in an act that has been an enduring mystery for nearly five years in the shadow of the violent Capitol attack.