Virginia Man Confesses to Jan. 6 Eve Pipe Bombs at DNC, RNC

A man from Virginia confessed to planting pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican national committee headquarters in Washington on the eve of the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, telling federal investigators he acted out of frustration over what he believed was tampering in the 2020 presidential election, according to a court filing by prosecutors.

Brian Cole, 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia, admitted to the FBI following his arrest on December 4 that he built and placed the two devices on January 5, 2021, neither of which detonated. The bombs were discovered around 1 p.m. the next day, as a mob of supporters of then-President Donald Trump breached the Capitol during the congressional certification of the election results. Cole initially denied involvement but changed his account after agents showed him surveillance footage of the suspect wearing distinctive Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes, which he acknowledged owning before discarding them.

In excerpts from his post-arrest interview cited in the filing, Cole explained that he had traveled to Washington intending to plant the devices, though he also mentioned attending a protest supporting Trump's unsubstantiated claims...