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Virginia Man Accused in D.C. Pipe Bomb Case Makes First Federal Court Appearance
WASHINGTON D.C. – Brian Cole Jr., the Virginia man recently arrested in connection with placing pipe bombs outside the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in Washington, D.C., in January 2021, made his initial appearance in federal court on Friday.
Cole, 30, appeared before Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya in Washington, where he was formally informed of the charges against him. Prosecutors revealed that Cole engaged in a four-hour conversation with law enforcement on Thursday, and a transcript of this discussion will be provided to his defense attorney, John Shoreman, over the weekend.
Wearing a tan jumpsuit and glasses, Cole confirmed to Judge Upadhyaya that he understood the charges. He was not shackled during the proceedings.
As he was escorted out of the courtroom, members of his family expressed their support, yelling, “We love you, Brian. We’re here for you, baby.”
A detention hearing is scheduled for December 15, and Cole will remain in federal custody until that time.
Authorities arrested Cole on Thursday. Investigators stated that he made multiple purchases during 2019 and 2020 consistent with components used to construct the pipe bombs found at the RNC and DNC.
The FBI previously released surveillance footage depicting a suspect placing two explosive devices near the political headquarters. These explosives, discovered hours later, were determined by the FBI to be “viable devices that could have been detonated, resulting in serious injury or death.”
Cole faces charges of transporting an explosive device in interstate commerce and maliciously attempting to destroy property using explosive materials, according to the criminal complaint.
In a related development, former FBI Director Kash Patel criticized the current administration’s handling of the case on Friday. In a post on X, he stated, “This is a case that should’ve been solved by the previous administration. 5 years later, justice is finally being delivered.
It still wasn’t easy, details of which we will share more about at the appropriate time. But when you let good cops be cops, this is what happens.”
Patel also noted that investigators utilized cellphone geolocation data to track the suspect.