Jan. 6 Pipe Bomb Defendant Pleads Not Guilty

WASHINGTON—Brian Cole Jr., the defendant in a case related to pipe bombs discovered outside the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, pleaded not guilty during an arraignment on Jan. 9.

Cole appeared at the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington, just down the road from the U.S. Capitol.

Cole is accused of planting explosive devices at the Washington offices of both major political parties on or close to Jan. 5, 2021.

He is facing two felony counts.

The first of the two charges is based on a violation of a federal law related to the interstate transportation of explosive devices.

“On or about January 5, 2021 … [Cole] knowingly transported in interstate commerce … two explosive devices commonly referred to as ‘pipe bombs,’ with the knowledge and intent to use those explosives to intimidate any individual and unlawfully to damage and destroy any building and other real property in Washington, D.C.,” the indictment reads.

Because the explosive did not detonate, Cole faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for this charge.

The second charge accuses Cole of “maliciously [attempting] to damage and destroy, by means of fire and an explosive,” the DNC and RNC headquarters and surrounding property.

If convicted, Cole faces a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years on this count.

The Department of Justice on Jan. 6, 2026, released a two-page grand jury indictment against Cole.

That indictment comes a little more than a month after Attorney General Pam Bondi and other administration officials announced on Dec. 4 that Cole was in custody, ending a nearly five-year manhunt.

Neither device successfully detonated. However, by the time authorities discovered the explosives on Jan. 6, 2021, the suspect had long since disappeared, beginning a manhunt that would continue for years.

The indictment provides a detailed summary of Cole’s alleged movements on Jan. 5, 2021.

That day, security footage captured an individual wearing a gray hoodie and a face mask carrying a bag through a residential neighborhood on South Capitol Street in Washington at about 7:40 p.m. local time.

At 7:52 p.m., footage showed the individual sitting on a bench outside the DNC headquarters. In the footage, the individual zipped up a bag, stood, and began to walk away.

Later the next day, on Jan. 6, 2021, law enforcement discovered a pipe bomb in a nearby bush.

At 8:14 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2021, the suspect was seen in an alley near the RNC headquarters. Law enforcement also discovered an explosive device in this area.

Both bombs were placed just blocks from the U.S. Capitol.

Neither bomb ultimately detonated, and law enforcement officers found them the following day during Congress’s session in the U.S. Capitol to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.

However, the FBI has stated that the bombs could have detonated.

“Fortunately, these bombs did not explode, although they certainly could have,” Darren Cox, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, said at a news briefing on Dec. 4, 2025, announcing Cole’s capture.

Despite the FBI offering a reward of $500,000, the case ultimately went cold, and no arrests were made for five years.