DC pipe-bomb suspect Brian Cole Jr. told authorities he wanted to “speak up” for people who believed the 2020 election was stolen and target the country’s political parties for being “in charge” after his arrest earlier this month, prosecutors said Sunday.
Cole, 30, told agents that “something just snapped” in him before he allegedly placed two pipe bombs by the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters on the eve of the Jan. 6 riots, according to a newly filed Justice Department memo.
He added that if people “feel that, you know, something as important as voting in the federal election is being tampered with, is being, you know, being — you know, relegated null and void, then, like, someone needs to speak up, right? Someone up top. You know, just to, just to at the very least calm things down,” the memo said.
Cole said “something just snapped” in him after “watching everything, just everything getting worse,” and that he wanted to do something “to the parties” because “they were in charge.”
Cole’s words — revealing a possible motive in the attempted attack — were laid out in the memo arguing he should remain behind bars as his case moves forward.
Cole initially denied that his actions were connected with Congress or the events of Jan. 6. But after initially disputing that he had placed the pipe bombs, he confessed to taking part in the explosive scheme, the documents show.
He acknowledged to agents that he felt disenchanted by the 2020 election results and was sympathetic to unfounded claims that it had been stolen by former President Joe Biden, the memo added.
The memo also provided evidence that investigators said connected him to the incident, including bomb-making equipment found at his home after his arrest.
Cole assembled the homemade pipe bombs using items purchased at several retailers around northern Virginia, including eight different Home Depot stores, as well as Micro Center, Lowe’s and Walmart, according to his criminal complaint.
The explosives had been fashioned from 8-inch galvanized steel pipes closed off with end caps, and rigged with nine-volt batteries and white kitchen timers
The bombs did not detonate and were discovered on Jan. 6, the afternoon when rioters supporting President Trump stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to halt the certification of the election.
He allegedly continued to buy bomb-making components even after placing them outside the RNC and DNC headquarters, the complaint detailed.
When asked why he placed the bombs at the RNC and DNC, Cole responded with “I really don’t like either party at this point.”
Cole was arrested at his home on Dec. 4 in Woodbridge, Virginia, after a multi-agency effort and charged with the use of an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials.
His next court hearing is slated for Tuesday in Washington’s federal court.
With Post wires
