Washington pipe bomb suspect has confessed, prosecutors say

WASHINGTON: The man accused of planting pipe bombs in Washington the night before the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack confessed to the FBI and told investigators he thought the 2020 election had been “tampered with,” according to a court filing from federal prosecutors.

Brian Cole, 30, of Virginia admitted to planting the devices, neither of which exploded, outside the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican national committees following his arrest earlier this month, according to the filing, which was made public on Sunday.

Cole told FBI agents “something just snapped” and that he wanted to do something “to the parties” because of their influence in U.S. politics, adding “I really don’t like either party at this point,” according to excerpts of his interview cited in the filing.

Prosecutors revealed new details about the investigation as they argued that Cole should be detained while awaiting a trial.

A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday in Washington federal court.

Cole is facing two explosives-related charges. He has not yet entered a plea.

Cole’s arrest nearly five years after the incident came after top officials at the FBI ordered a fresh look at a case that had long vexed investigators and became fodder for right-wing theories tied to the Capitol riot.

Cole denied in the FBI interview that the placement of the bombs on January 5, 2021 was connected to the certification of the election in Congress on the following day.

The pipe bombs were not discovered until about 1 p.m. on January 6, diverting police resources just as a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump surged into the Capitol.

He initially denied planting the devices, telling the FBI that he had been in Washington to attend a protest to support Trump’s false claims that his defeat in the 2020 election was the result of rampant voter fraud.

Cole told the FBI that powerful people needed to speak out if “something as important as voting in the federal election is being tampered with.”