By Gina Hill | Alaska Headline Living | December 2025
WASHINGTON – On December 4, 2025, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents arrested a man in connection with the pipe bombs found outside the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Republican National Committee (RNC) on the eve of the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
According to law enforcement officials briefed on the case, the suspect is Brian Cole Jr., a Woodbridge, Virginia resident. He is the first individual publicly identified by investigators as responsible for the bombs.
Background: The 2021 Pipe-Bombs Case
On the evening of January 5, 2021, the FBI says a masked individual placed two improvised explosive devices, one near DNC headquarters and another near RNC headquarters, within blocks of the U.S. Capitol. The bombs, which were rigged with kitchen timers and black powder, did not detonate. Officials later deemed them viable devices that could have caused serious injury or death.
After the bombs were discovered the next day, the FBI launched a nationwide manhunt. Investigators reviewed thousands of hours of video surveillance, conducted more than 1,000 interviews, and offered a reward of up to $500,000 for information leading to an arrest.
The Arrest
FBI officials say the arrest occurred early Thursday morning in the Woodbridge, Virginia area. The suspect, identified as Brian Cole Jr., is now in federal custody. Authorities confirmed this is the first arrest in the nearly five-year-old investigation. A formal press conference is expected today at the Department of Justice to publicly announce the arrest and provide details of the evidence.
What Is Still Unknown
Officials have not released full details about what led to the identification of Cole, including which specific surveillance, forensic, or digital evidence solved the case. No official statement from the Department of Justice or a public charging document has yet been released. Investigators have not clarified whether there is any direct connection between the pipe bombs and the Capitol riot that followed the next day.
This is a breaking development based solely on official law enforcement actions by the FBI and DOJ. The story is expected to evolve rapidly as more information is released.
