After nearly five years the FBI has arrested someone related to the planting of pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican National Committees on the eve of the January 6 riot.
Fox News reported that authorities took Brian Cole Jr., 30, of Virginia into custody Thursday morning. The network reported that authorities have released few details but said they were carrying out "court-enforced activity" at Cole's residence.
On the night of January 5, surveillance footage showed someone carrying a backpack and wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, mask, gloves, glasses, and a pair of Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers planting the pipe bombs, the New York Post reported. The devices never detonated, but were described as "viable explosive devices," the newspaper reported.
The devices were not found until the next afternoon, amidst the turmoil that engulfed the Capitol as Congress attempted to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. The New York Post reported that then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi came "within feet" of the devices while traveling to and from DNC headquarters.
NBC News reported that in 2023, authorities increased the reward for information leading to an arrest from $100,000 to $500,000. The network reported that the FBI had faced criticism from lawmakers for the lack of an arrest in the case. In the course of its investigation, the FBI interviewed more than 1,000 people and reviewed tens of thousands of video files.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., told NBC News that he had spoken with the FBI and said he was told they were "confident" they had solved the case. However, Loudermilk also acknowledged the lack of publicly released details.
"That would be great if we could, if they were willing to give us more information," Loudermilk told NBC News. "But at the same time, you know, the FBI is going to be questioning, and there is an active case that we don't want to assert anything that they have."
