Man accused of placing pipe bombs near GOP and Democratic headquarters in Washington to remain in jail pending trial [View all]
Source: CNN Politics
Updated Jan 2, 2026, 12:48 PM ET
PUBLISHED Jan 2, 2026, 12:34 PM ET
The man accused of being the Washington, DC, pipe bomber will remain in jail until he faces trial, a federal judge ruled Friday.
The decision to keep Brian Cole Jr., who allegedly placed explosives outside the Democratic and Republican National Committee buildings on January 5, 2021, was made two days after a hearing in which prosecutors argued that Cole would pose a danger to others if he were released and allowed to live with his family.
Judge Matthew Sharbaugh wrote that: “The sudden and abrupt motivation behind Mr. Cole’s alleged actions presents concerns about how quickly the same abrupt and impulsive conduct might recur.”
He continued: “More, Mr. Cole reportedly told the FBI that he assembled the IEDs ‘in the hours before he drove to Washington, D.C. on January 5, 2021.’”
Cole has yet to enter a plea to the charges. No trial date has been set.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/02/politics/pipe-bomb-suspect-detained-pending-trial
Link to ORDER (PDF viewer) - https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26453301-ruling-on-cole-detention/
Link to ORDER (PDF) - https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26453301/ruling-on-cole-detention.pdf
REFERENCES
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143576950
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143577573
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143577820
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143589341
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143589613
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143589920
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143590155
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