J6 Pipe B*mb Suspect Makes Confession, Justice Department Says

The Justice Department said that Brian Cole Jr., the suspect arrested and charged for allegedly placing pipe bombs outside of the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., confessed he was responsible for the crimes.

“My office has filed court documents that Brian Cole, Jr., accused of placing pipe bombs outside the RNC and DNC has admitted that he was responsible for the devices and gave a detailed confession to the charged offenses, telling law enforcement he was frustrated with both political parties,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said.

“These documents make clear that my office with our law enforcement partners are working vigorously to secure justice in the attempted attack on our nation’s political institutions — nearly five years after the devices were placed and thankfully failed to detonate,” she continued.

My office has filed court documents that Brian Cole, Jr., accused of placing pipe bombs outside the RNC and DNC has admitted that he was responsible for the devices and gave a detailed confession to the charged offenses, telling law enforcement he was frustrated with both…

— Jeanine Pirro (@JudgeJeanine) December 29, 2025

ABC News shared further:

In a multiple-hour interview with authorities following his Dec. 4 arrest, Brian Cole allegedly admitted his actions in placing the pipe bombs after initially denying any involvement, prosecutors said.

Cole denied in the interview being an openly political person, but said in the wake of the 2020 election, he began following news on YouTube and Reddit and felt like “something was wrong” and that people who felt “that their votes are like just being thrown away” were being ignored, according to prosecutors.

“When asked why he placed the devices at the RNC and DNC, the defendant responded, ‘I really don’t like either party at this point,’” prosecutors said in their filing, describing the interview. “[Cole] also explained that the idea to use pipe bombs came from his interest in history, specifically the Troubles in Ireland. The defendant denied that his actions were directed toward Congress or related to the proceedings scheduled to take place on January 6.”

Cole allegedly said in the interview that he had actually intended for the devices to detonate and set 60-minute timers on both after planting them outside of the DNC and RNC. After leaving them, he said he went to his car, picked up food from a restaurant in Virginia and then returned home.

Good Morning America shared video coverage:

Prosecutors are detailing the confession they say Brian Cole Jr. gave after his arrest in connection with pipe bombs planted outside Republican and Democratic offices in Washington the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. @OliviaRubinABC reports. pic.twitter.com/N5STcbBuvX

— Good Morning America (@GMA) December 29, 2025

“Brian J. Cole, Jr., of Woodbridge, Virginia, was arrested this morning and charged for transporting and planting two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on January 5, 2021, at the headquarters of both the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee in Washington D.C. Cole was apprehended after a nearly 5-year investigation by @FBIWFO and its partners,” the FBI stated earlier this month.

Brian J. Cole, Jr., of Woodbridge, Virginia, was arrested this morning and charged for transporting and planting two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on January 5, 2021, at the headquarters of both the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee in… pic.twitter.com/Fzz3ds4qYb

— FBI (@FBI) December 4, 2025

More from The Center Square:

Investigators indicated the explosive devices were homemade, which included black powder and a kitchen timer. Surveillance footage from the scenes appeared to show an individual wearing sweats, Nike shoes, a hoodie and a mask. In addition, the footage appeared to show the explosives were placed between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2021.

Earlier this year, the FBI offered a $500,000 reward for fresh information leading to the arrest of the person suspected of planting the bombs in hopes of a breakthrough as the investigation appeared stalled.

During a news conference following the arrest, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino was credited for spearheading the investigation by FBI Director Kash Patel.

“You’re not going to walk into our capital city, put down two explosive devices and walk off in the sunset. Not going to happen,” Bongino said. “We were going to track this person to the end of the earth. We didn’t have to track him to the end of the earth. It wound up in Woodbridge, Virginia.”

Darren Cox, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, said investigators evaluated three million lines of data during the investigation. Bongino told reporters that forensic data eventually led to the breakthrough.

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