The suspect arrested for planting pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic National Committees ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021 riots has been identified as Brian Cole Jr. of Virginia, who may have had “anarchist” leanings, sources confirmed to The Post.
Cole, 30, was busted by the FBI Thursday morning in connection to the attempted bombing, just shy of the fifth anniversary of the riot at the US Capitol.
Sources told The Post that investigators were looking into his possible connection with some form of “anarchist” writings or leanings, though specifics were not immediately known.
The suspect arrested for planting pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic National Committees ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, riots has been identified as Brian Cole of Virginia. Federal Bureau of Investigation
FBI agents raiding Brian Cole’s house in Woodbridge, Va. on Dec. 4, 2025. Getty Images
Agents putting on hazmat suits to enter Cole’s house. Getty Images
Authorities say Cole was the man caught on camera skulking around the capital city the night before former Vice President Joe Biden’s election victory was to be certified by Congress, leaving “viable explosive devices” outside the major parties’ headquarters in Washington, DC.
The video showed him carrying a backpack and wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, mask, gloves, glasses and a pair of Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers.
The devices were found the following afternoon, just as Congress was convening to count the 2020 electoral votes — right around the time a violent melee broke out on the Capitol grounds among enraged President Trump supporters, who stormed the House and Senate chambers.
Prince William County police officers closing off the street during the raid. Getty Images
But his distraught grandmother Loretta denied his involvement, describing him as “autistic-like” with no political leanings.
“He’s almost autistic-like because he doesn’t understand a lot of stuff. I hope he is not talking,” she told The Post in a phone interview.
“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,” she added. “He’s not a terrorist.”
She said he works at their family bail bonds company, Brian Cole Bail Bonds, which was raided by the FBI.
Cole was busted by the FBI Thursday morning. FBI
Loretta said her grandson rarely leaves the house, only going out for groceries and work.
“He’s just a gentle person.”
Asked if her grandson was in DC on Jan. 5, Loretta said: “Well, I don’t know. He was doing DoorDash for a while.”
“He doesn’t have any ties to DC,” she added. “I don’t even know how they included him in this.”