As FBI Chief Kash Patel announced at a press conference, the suspect is 30-year-old Brian Cole from Woodbridge near Washington, who worked in a bail bondsman's office.
The man's detention marks a breakthrough in solving a mystery that has tormented investigators for almost five years, when improvised pipe bombs were found outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national committees on the day of Donald Trump's supporters storming the Capitol. The bombs did not explode because the security services managed to neutralize the explosives. According to the officers, the explosion could have had fatal consequences.
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Who was arrested by the FBI?
What charges was brought against the suspect?
What information helped identify the perpetrator?
When did the Capitol building take place?
Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi declined to speculate on the suspect's motive. Despite the lack of findings on this issue, MS NOW television (formerly MSNBC) reported that Cole was associated with “pro-anarchist” views. According to the testimony of an FBI agent included in the indictment, Cole began building homemade bombs in 2019.
According to the FBI, the perpetrator was not identified as a result of receiving new information, but of “connecting the dots” from already collected evidence. These included the man's purchases of specific types of pipes from a DIY supermarket, as well as a timer and cables from another supermarket.
“No one will enter our capital and plant explosives”
The failure to capture the bomb suspect for five years has been the cause of many speculations and conspiracy theories, mainly focusing on the narrative that the storming of the Capitol on January 6 was a provocation of the services. Back in November, the right-wing website The Blaze reported that it had identified the perpetrator, pointing to a former CIA and Capitol Police officer. FBI deputy director and former right-wing columnist Dan Bongino also claimed before taking his current role that the FBI was deliberately withholding knowledge on the subject. Bongino did not address those claims on Thursday, but spoke of the service's success.
“No one will enter our capital, plant two explosives and walk off into the sunset,” he said. “There's no way,” he added.
The suspicious man was arrested on Thursday morning. So far, he has been charged with two charges: transporting explosives across state lines with the intent to kill, injure or cause damage, and a charge of attempting to commit intentional destruction.
On January 6, 2021, thousands of Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol to protest the results of the November 2020 presidential election. Five people died during the riot.
