30 yr old Woodbridge VA man arrested in pipe bomb plan

[AverageOldGuy]

Source: InsideNOVA https://www.insidenova.com/

The FBI has arrested a 30-year-old Woodbridge man in connection with pipe bombs placed in Washington, D.C., on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, the New York Post and other outlets reported Thursday morning.

The New York Post identified Brian Cole of Woodbridge as the suspect based on government sources. The suspect is set to be arraigned in federal court in Alexandria at 1 p.m.

According to the Associated Press, the arrest took place Thursday morning in Virginia, but as of 11:15 a.m, federal officials had not yet released the man's identity.

Read more: https://www.insidenova.com/

[Sneederbunk]

1. He must immediately start a go fund me to raise pardon money.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

29. I'm sure the Whitehouse will get a call

[AverageOldGuy]

2. This is repeat of a NY Post story

https://nypost.com/2025/12/04/us-news/fbi-makes-arrest-in-jan-6-pipe-bomb-investigation-after-nearly-5-years/

A suspect was arrested Thursday morning in connection with the planting of pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican National Committees on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, The Post has confirmed.

Brian Cole of Virginia identified as DC pipe bomb suspect: sources
Brian Cole Jr., 30, of Woodbridge, Va., was set to be arraigned in DC federal court later Thursday, according to a law enforcement source.

It was not immediately clear what charges Cole would face.

A motive is also not known, but sources told The Post investigators were examining the suspect’s background for possible “anarchist leanings.”

By midday Thursday, federal agents had swarmed the suspect’s home in a cul-de-sac in suburban Prince William County. Calls to relatives of Cole listed in public records were not immediately returned.

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[GCG]

3. Nice Neighborhood

That's a nice house.

[AverageOldGuy]

8. Be a shame . . .

. . . if some of his bomb-making material blew it sky high,

[tanyev]

14. Yep. Not the typical place to find someone with "anarchist leanings".

🤨

[pimpbot]

22. Probably his parents

Or relatives. Unless the guy won the lotto or bought bitcoin as a kid, not many 20 somethings can afford a sizable house on a decent amount of land in Northern Virginia. Those houses are probably 800k - 1.5M depending on exact location.

Back in my 20s no one wanted to live in the suburbs anyways. We all wanted to live close to the bars and concert halls!

[spooky3]

28. Woodbridge isn't close-in so more modestly priced, and reports on tv today

Said the suspect lives with his parents.

[underpants]

17. Yep.

When I saw the pic I sort of gulped. Looks a lot like my house but our cul de sac is more condensed. They really packed ‘em in but our house is at the end so we don’t have any issue with neighbors on other cul de sac’s looking in.

Love our house. We’ve been very lucky.

[Bengus81]

30. Surprised all of them only have two car garages

[underpants]

31. A lot of neighborhoods are similar model construction

In our old neighborhood I’d say 85% of the houses were to same tri-level house. Not Sears houses. This probably allows for bulk buys of windows, stair risers, etc.

Our current neighborhood has a lot of basically the same model. Ours doesn’t have a front entrance atrium/open area which is a waste of money on heat/AC and give us another room and stair case access to the attic.

[PatSeg]

19. Yeah, especially for an anarchist

[wolfie001]

24. $800,000 house at least

Property taxes must be through the roof.

[Traildogbob]

4. Time to end

Basement dwellers now. Deport any young white male living in mom’s basement.
Was MTG offered an “out” for her pipe placement, and destroy evidence she planted them if she would just leave and stop attacking the DICKtator?
Why can’t we make up absurd shit like MAGA media? There are no consequences to lying, you only get appointed to Government positions or a spot on right wing media.

[ShazzieB]

20. I was never convinced that it was MTG, to be honest.

The "evidence" was too flimsy, imo. (If there was anything to tie her to it other than Images of a fully disguised person that some *thought* resembled her, I'm not aware of it - and that's just not enough.)

I know it's hard to believe anything coming out of the Trump admin, but I also find it hard to imagine any of Trump's flying monkeys being competent enough to successfully frame someone.

[Traildogbob]

23. Just some weak

Sarcasm pointing to MTG. But believing a word from this FBI is impossible right now. I hope this is the right person and we get him out of society. Whatever his reasoning, we can be certain this media will portray him as an evil member of the “Democrat” party he’ll bent of stopping AmurKKKa from being great again. But maybe we should apply the same logic as Trump U.S. going after every Afghan, maybe it’s time to eliminate citizenship of young white males deelling in mom’s basement. Sure is a pattern.
More

[underpants]

16. Thanks. What happened on Jan. 6 according to the NY Post

Cole’s arrest comes one month before the fifth anniversary of the melee that briefly delayed congressional confirmation of former Vice President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.

[MichMan]

7. Bombs were set at both Dem and Rep HQ

Reports have said he is linked to anarchism. Maybe wait to see what the facts are before engaging in rampant speculation.

[Botany]

10. Random speculation on the internet?

[angrychair]

9. Not saying that's not possible

But Prince William county overwhelmingly voted for VP Harris in the last election. In general NOVA is very blue area.

This guy is obviously living with an older relative because it's extremely unlikely that a 30 yr old person could afford that nice of a house.
Plus the economy, especially in NOVA, is way out of the price range of many younger people. Though, to be fair, 30 is a little on the older side to be still living at home.

We need more information.

[LisaL]

33. He is not white.

NT

[Polybius]

36. Guess again

[AverageOldGuy]

6. If he is 30 now

He was 24-25-26 when he planned, bought the pipe bomb parts, built the bombs, etc., etc. Living in parent's home all the time??

[AverageOldGuy]

11. The surname "COLE" . . .

. . . is of British and Irish origin, possibly a re-spelling of the German name "Kohl."

Time to round up all those insane immigrants from the shithole countries of England, Ireland, and Germany before they kill the rest of us.

[Calico20]

37. Oh, no!

They'll be coming for me REAL SOON! lol

[Bok_Tukalo]

12. Didn't Trump blanket pardon him?

[tonekat]

13. Dan "Bongo" Bongino was all wrong

From the NYT:
"Conspiracy theories have often filled the void left by the lack of an arrest, many of them centered on the belief that the pipe bombs were put in place as part of a plot by deep-state law enforcement and intelligence officials intended to discredit President Trump and his supporters. Among those who have promoted those theories was Dan Bongino, a former right-wing podcaster who now serves as the deputy director of the F.B.I.

On his show last November, Mr. Bongino said the pipe bombs were left as part of an “inside job” that the F.B.I. was protecting with a “massive cover-up.”

“This was a setup,” he added. “I have zero doubt.”"

Guess not.

[underpants]

15. That would be because he's an idiot.

[wiggs]

18. Sad and tragic that we have to question the accuracy and motivation what we hear from fed spokespersons every day. nt

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

21. Wow, I know the area well, as I once lived in Woodbridge/Gar-field when I was growing up. Close to DC.

[tonekat]

26. Worked at his family's Bail Bond Biz. N/T

[ashredux]

25. I've always believed from the video that the pipe bomb person was a woman

[John1956PA]

27. What are the chances that Noem will grab the spotlight . . .

. . . and float the idea that the accused had been radicalized?

I think slim to none, and Slim just left town.

[Blumancru]

32. I saw his picture. He is a ringer for Steve Urkel!

[LetMyPeopleVote]

34. MaddowBlog-Following arrest in pipe-bombs case, White House rejects questions about Jan. 6 pardons

With a suspect in custody, Team Trump was reluctant to talk about the president’s pardons for others convicted for violent Jan. 6 crimes.
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/following-arrest-in-pipe-bombs-case-white-house-rejects-questions-about-jan-6-pardons

Hours before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, someone placed pipe bombs outside Republican and Democratic headquarters in Washington, D.C. In the nearly five years that followed, an investigation failed to identify a suspect.....

What about Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons?

At a press conference at the Justice Department, Attorney General Pam Bondi was asked about the obvious tension between Cole’s arrest and the president’s decision to pardon every other person convicted for crimes on Jan. 6, including felons, many of whom violently clashed with police officers.

Bondi dodged the question.

The line of inquiry, however, is entirely legitimate. Trump, just hours into his second term, came to the assistance of Jan. 6 criminals, insisting at the time that it would be a “grave national injustice” to hold them accountable.

When NBC News posed the question to the White House, spokesperson Abigail Jackson responded with this statement:

It’s alarming and insulting that Fake News NBC would compare an individual who placed live bombs throughout DC to the countless individuals who were over-prosecuted and targeted by a weaponized Biden DOJ. This false equivalence is one of the many reasons why trust in the media is at an all-time low.

Let’s unpack this a bit.

First, NBC News isn’t “fake.” Second, Jan. 6 felons were, if anything, under-prosecuted. Third, if Republicans have any evidence of the Biden-era Justice Department having been “weaponized,” the party has kept its proof well hidden.

Fourth, if placing “live bombs” is qualitatively different from other Jan. 6 crimes, why did the Trump administration dismiss charges against Daniel Ball — who set off an explosive device in a Capitol tunnel during a fierce battle between pro-Trump rioters and law enforcement officers?

This whole disingenuous mess is among the many reasons why trust in Trump and his team is at an all-time low.....

Fourth, if placing “live bombs” is qualitatively different from other Jan. 6 crimes, why did the Trump administration dismiss charges against Daniel Ball — who set off an explosive device in a Capitol tunnel during a fierce battle between pro-Trump rioters and law enforcement officers?

This whole disingenuous mess is among the many reasons why trust in Trump and his team is at an all-time low.

[Polybius]

35. Here's his pic: