Federal agents on Thursday arrested 30-year-old Florida man Brian Cole Jr., charging him with transporting an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction using explosive materials.
The arrest comes nearly five years after pipe bombs were discovered outside the RNC and DNC headquarters, a case that inexplicably stalled under the Biden administration.
At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Bondi credited investigators for “sifting through evidence that had been sitting at the FBI,” making clear that no new tips led to Cole’s identification.
“This investigation is ongoing,” Bondi said. “As we speak, search warrants are being executed, and there could be more charges to come.”
FBI Director Kash Patel releases statement on X:
“When Dan Bongino and I came to the FBI in March, the pipe bomb investigation had been stalled for going on 5 years. We rebuilt it from scratch – re-running every lead, re-testing every piece of evidence, bringing in top experts, and deploying new technology to engineer the break that finally nailed the suspect.
Today is result of that outstanding work. We didn’t need new evidence – just new leaders, and a new President
@realDonaldTrump willing to let good cops be cops.”
When Dan Bongino and I came to the FBI in March, the pipe bomb investigation had been stalled for going on 5 years. We rebuilt it from scratch – re-running every lead, re-testing every piece of evidence, bringing in top experts, and deploying new technology to engineer the break…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) December 4, 2025
FBI Co-Deputy Director Dan Bongino delivered a blistering rebuke of Biden-era leadership, openly criticizing officials for “focusing on other things” instead of solving one of the most consequential domestic terror cases in modern political history.
“You’re not going to walk into our capital city, put down two explosive devices, and walk off into the sunset,” Bongino said.
“Not going to happen — we were going to track this person to the end of the Earth. There was no way he was getting away.”
Bongino confirmed that he assembled a multiagency investigative team that re-examined old evidence — evidence he strongly suggested was ignored or overlooked by prior leadership.
According to the criminal complaint, Cole allegedly bought:
- Six 1” x 8” galvanized pipes — the exact size used in both IEDs
- Black and galvanized endcaps matching the bomb components
- White Walmart kitchen timers identical to those recovered from the devices
- 9-volt batteries and connectors from Micro Center
- Red and black 14-gauge electrical wire
- Steel wool, used as part of the igniting mechanism
All of these items were purchased across northern Virginia between 2019 and 2020, and again—shockingly—after January 6th, when Cole allegedly continued purchasing timers, pipes, and batteries.
Cole’s cellphone had seven data transactions between 7:39 p.m. and 8:24 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2021.
These transactions occurred on cell tower sectors covering the exact path the bomber walked as captured on surveillance footage.
Surveillance shows the suspect placing the DNC device at 7:54 p.m. and the RNC device at 8:16 p.m.—perfectly mirroring the tower hits recorded on Cole’s phone.
Following the bombshell announcement, members of Cole’s family spoke briefly to reporters.
Men’s Journal reported:
The suspect’s grandmother, Loretta, told The New York Post: “He’s almost autistic-like because he doesn’t understand a lot of stuff. I hope he is not talking.” She also alleged: “He’s very naive…He would not hurt a fly. He’s just not that kind of person. I don’t believe this at all. He’s not a terrorist.”
The grandmother told The Post that Cole works for the family’s bail bondsman company, “Brian Cole Bail Bonds.” She added that he also worked for DoorDash for a time. “He doesn’t have any ties to DC,” she added. “I don’t even know how they included him in this.”
The suspect’s step-grandfather, Earl Donnette, “said in a brief phone call to NBC News that he spoke with the FBI about his step-grandson,” the network reported. However, Donnette declined to make additional comment, NBC News reported, and Brian Cole Sr., Cole’s dad, declined to make any comment at all, NBC News reported. According to NBC, investigators could be seen “on aerial footage blocking off the entrance to the suspect’s father’s business with police tape.”
“He’s very antisocial. Very,” a neighbor told The New York Post of Brian Cole Jr. “He keeps to himself.”
The post Family of Pipe Bomb Suspect Brian Cole Breaks Silence — Issues FIRST Statement After Explosive Arrest appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.