FBI arrest suspect in January 2021 pipe bomb plot against the DNC and the RNC

Dec. 4, 2025

The FBI have arrested a suspect in the pipe bomb plot that has vexed investigators for nearly five years. Multiple press reports have announced the suspect as Brian Cole, Jr., from Woodbridge, Va. The pipe bombs, which were never detonated, were described as viable and possibly deadly by the FBI. Security camera footage obtained by law enforcement showed that the pipe bombs had been planted on Jan. 5, but they were not discovered until after the Capitol siege the following day.

Further Reading :

• Suspect arrested in January 2021 D.C. pipe bomb case [NBC News]
  Dec. 4, 2025 — The bombs were planted outside the Republican and Democratic national party headquarters in Washington, D.C., on the eve of the Jan. 6 siege on the Capitol.
• FBI makes arrest in investigation into pipe bombs placed in DC on eve of Jan. 6 riot, AP sources say [The Associated Press]
  Dec. 4, 2025 — The FBI made an arrest on Thursday in its nearly 5-year-old investigation into pipe bombs placed outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties in Washington on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
• FBI arrests Virginia man in Jan. 6 pipe bomb case [The Washington Post]
  Dec. 4, 2025 — Federal officials arrested a Virginia man believed to have planted pipe bombs in D.C. the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol, according to people familiar with the matter.

Key Words :

• Brian Cole, Jr.
• Democratic National Committee
• Donald J Trump
• Greg Rosen
• Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack
• Republican National Committee