Suspect accused of planting pipe bombs in Washington confessed, prosecutors say

The man accused of planting pipe bombs in Washington, D.C., the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol confessed to the FBI and told investigators he believed the 2020 election was “tampered with,” according to a filing by federal prosecutors.

Brian Cole, 30, of Virginia, admitted placing the devices, none of which exploded, outside the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican national committees after his arrest earlier this month, according to the filing released Sunday.

Cole told FBI agents that “something had just broken” and that he wanted to do something “to the parties” because of their influence in American politics, saying, “I really don’t like either party at this point,” according to excerpts of his interview cited in the filing.

Prosecutors revealed new details about the investigation, saying Cole should be detained pending trial. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday in federal court in Washington.

Cole faces two explosives-related charges. He has not yet entered a plea.

Cole’s arrest nearly five years after the incident came after top FBI officials ordered a fresh look at a case that has long vexed investigators and become fodder for right-wing theories linked to the Capitol riot.

Cole denied in the FBI interview that the placement of the bombs on January 5, 2021, was related to the certification of the congressional election the following day.

The pipe bombs were not discovered until around 1 p.m. local time on January 6, diverting police resources just as a mob of supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump broke into the Capitol.

Cole initially denied planting the devices, telling the FBI that he was in Washington to attend a protest to support Trump’s false claims that his defeat in the 2020 election was the result of widespread voter fraud.

Cole told the FBI that powerful people needed to speak out if “something as important as voting in federal elections was being tampered with.”