Man Arrested for Planting Pipe Bombs in DC (Video)

More than four years after pipe bombs rocked Capitol Hill on the eve of the now-infamous Jan. 6, 2021 certification, federal agents have arrested a man who confessed to planting the devices — and who reportedly told investigators he didn’t trust the 2020 election results.

The suspect, identified as Brian Cole Jr., was arrested Thursday outside his Virginia home by FBI agents using newly retrieved geolocation data — a method current FBI Director Kash Patel says was “ignored for years under Biden.”

A senior federal law enforcement source confirmed to Patriot Nation News that Cole “has made multiple admissions,” including that he planted the devices himself near both the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters on January 5, 2021.

“He didn’t believe the 2020 election was legitimate. He felt it was stolen,” the source said. “His words were, ‘They rigged it from the start.’”

According to officials, the devices never detonated — but they were real bombs with the potential to cause mass casualties.

“This could have been a bloodbath,” said former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi on Fox & Friends. “Thankfully, no one was hurt. But it’s chilling how close we came.”

Director Kash Patel, appointed by President Trump in early 2025, wasted no time calling out his predecessors.

“The Biden DOJ sat on this case for four years,” Patel told Fox News @ Night Now. “We came in, scrubbed the old data, pulled phone pings, reviewed surveillance footage frame-by-frame — and within months, we had our man.”

Surveillance video shows a masked man in a hoodie placing devices at both party headquarters in the dead of night. The bombs were discovered hours before the Capitol breach on January 6.

According to the criminal complaint, Cole faces charges of:

• Transporting an explosive across state lines
• Attempting to destroy federal property with explosive materials

Further charges are likely, Bondi confirmed Friday: “We’re just getting started.”

While some in the media are scrambling to paint Cole as a lone extremist, officials are still parsing his exact motives. A second federal source emphasized the investigation is ongoing, but Cole’s own words provide insight.

“He believed the election had been hijacked,” the source said. “He was angry, felt helpless — and wanted to make a statement, not hurt people.”

Though the bombs didn’t go off, the intent was clear.

“He chose the night before Jan. 6 for a reason,” the source added.

While CNN and left-leaning outlets quickly labeled Cole “a Trump extremist,” no official motive has been released by the DOJ.

Pam Bondi criticized the narrative spin: “We should be asking why this investigation was shelved for so long and what else the FBI missed under the last administration.”

Patel was blunt in his assessment of the FBI under Biden-era leadership.

“This was either gross incompetence or deliberate obstruction. Neither is acceptable,” he said. “We owe the American people answers — and accountability.”

He also confirmed that his team is reopening dozens of dormant January 6–related cases that were never properly followed up under former FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Cole is expected to appear in federal court Friday afternoon. As of publication, no plea has been entered.

Meanwhile, lawmakers on Capitol Hill — particularly in Trump’s new-look GOP — are calling for an independent review into how the case was handled (or ignored) for nearly half a decade.

“This man was out there for four years while Biden’s DOJ sat on its hands,” said Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) in a Friday morning post on Truth Social. “The American people deserve to know why.”