MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
OK, now to a mystery that has lingered for nearly five years and that may now be solved. The FBI says it has apprehended the man who placed pipe bombs near the U.S. Capitol the night before a mob stormed the building back in January 2021. Federal authorities took him into custody this morning in Virginia. FBI Director Kash Patel addressed reporters from the Justice Department.
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KASH PATEL: Today, I'm proud to stand here before you and say we solved it. He will have his day in court.
KELLY: NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson is following this story. She's with us now. Hi, Carrie.
CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE: Hey there.
KELLY: What do we know about this suspect?
JOHNSON: His name is Brian Cole Jr. He's 30 years old and from Woodbridge, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Court papers say he works in the office of a bail bondsman. He's being charged with transporting an explosive device with intent to kill or injure and attempted malicious destruction. The attorney general, Pam Bondi, says this investigation continues and the suspect may face more charges. The FBI is continuing to process evidence it gathered through search warrants and to conduct new interviews.
KELLY: And, Carrie, just remind us - because there was a lot going on that day and adjacent to that day - what are the details of the crime that they're charging him with?
JOHNSON: There's grainy camera footage of someone wearing a hoodie and dark pants near the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee buildings nearly five years ago. Hours later, police found pipe bombs at those locations, diverting law enforcement attention from the mob that was swarming the U.S. Capitol. Those pipe bombs did not detonate, but the FBI says they were viable and they did pose a real threat to public safety. Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino once called the pipe bombs a, quote, "inside job" when he worked as a podcaster, but today, he got some credit from colleagues for helping bring this suspect to justice. Here's more from Bongino.
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DAN BONGINO: Folks, you're not going to walk into our capital city, put down two explosive devices and walk off in the sunset.
KELLY: OK, so my question - how did they crack this? As we say, this all unfolded nearly five years ago. This was a cold case.
JOHNSON: It was. The FBI had poured a lot of resources into this investigation, but they still came up short. New FBI leaders made it a big priority. They assigned new analysts and investigators, and those people came up with what they describe as a key forensic lead. An FBI affidavit says Cole purchased components that could have been used to make these pipe bombs. These are things like electrical wire, steel wool, battery connectors and parts to close the end of a pipe. The court papers say a cell phone tied to Cole also pinged cell towers near the RNC and DNC the night the bombs were placed, and a license plate reader near the area captured his car - a Nissan Sentra - that night. Here's Attorney General Pam Bondi at the news conference.
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PAM BONDI: Let me be clear. There was no new tip. There was no new witness. Just good, diligent police work and prosecutorial work.
JOHNSON: Darren Cox, who leads the FBI's Washington field office, says the bureau has a long memory and a long reach.
KELLY: OK. So where does this case go now?
JOHNSON: The suspect, Brian Cole, will get his day in court - the opportunity to enter a plea. And there have been a lot of conspiracy theories swirling around this pipe bomb case for years now. There was a lot of pressure from President Trump's MAGA political base to solve this crime. It remains to be seen whether some of those people will be persuaded by the evidence the FBI's gathered, but FBI leaders today suggested they have even more evidence they haven't released. That's notable, since FBI leaders this year have been criticized for talking too much about ongoing investigations. It's a reflection of how important this pipe-bomb case is to them that they're being extra careful now.
KELLY: That is NPR's Carrie Johnson. She covers the Justice Department. Thank you, Carrie.
JOHNSON: My pleasure.
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