BREAKING: ‘Anarchist’ J6 Pipe Bomb Suspect’s Potential Motive Emerges
Federal agents on Thursday finally hauled in a Virginia man they say planted the pipe bombs left outside the Republican and Democratic national party headquarters on the eve of Jan. 6, a suspect sources described to MS NOW as an anarchist sympathizer who had been hiding in plain sight for years.
Brian Cole of Woodbridge, Virginia, was arrested before dawn, ending a five-year hunt that had frustrated investigators and fueled endless theories about who stalked Capitol Hill with explosives the night before the chaos. Officials told MS NOW that Cole has been tied to anarchist ideology, a detail now drawing scrutiny as authorities examine whether politics, extremism, or anti-government motives drove the bomb plot.
Cole has been charged in connection with the explosives placed outside both party headquarters. The devices never detonated. He is expected to appear in court later Thursday, though the full list of charges has not been announced.
The arrest comes only weeks after the FBI dangled a $500,000 reward and released new footage of the hooded suspect roaming Washington. But law enforcement sources say the takedown didn’t come from fresh intelligence. Instead, agents revisited evidence they gathered in 2021 and 2022, raising uncomfortable questions about why Cole wasn’t identified sooner.
The bombs were made from galvanized steel pipes, electrical wires, and kitchen timers.
Sources familiar with the probe say the delay could prove embarrassing for the bureau, which poured massive resources into the search but failed to connect dots that were already sitting in its files.
The surveillance tapes show the masked culprit moving deliberately around Capitol Hill on Jan. 5.
At one point, the figure sets down a backpack on South Capitol Street, slips on glasses and surveys the area before heading toward the DNC headquarters. A device was planted there at 7:54 p.m.
Roughly 20 minutes later, the same suspect appears at the RNC building, placing the second bomb at 8:16 p.m. Two minutes after that, the individual disappears from view, prompting years of speculation about whether the operation was political, coordinated, or meant to distract authorities before the next day’s riot.
The suspect’s clothing stood out: a grey hoodie, gloves, a face mask, glasses and black-and-grey Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers with a yellow logo. Agents now say that trail likely could have led them to Cole far earlier.
Cole’s alleged anarchist leanings add a new dimension to a case long dominated by partisan guesswork. With his arrest, investigators will now try to determine whether ideology, personal grievance or something else pushed him to leave live explosives outside both the DNC and RNC on one of the most volatile nights in recent political history.
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