Five years after someone planted two pipe bombs near the Capitol on the eve of the Jan. 6 attack, a suspect has been taken into custody.
According to reports from the Associated Press, The New York Times and NBC News, the FBI has arrested a man in connection with the case.
Investigators previously said that “an unidentified individual placed pipe bombs near the offices of the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee in Washington, D.C.,” on Jan. 5, 2021.
Now, multiple outlets — including the AP, NBC and Fox News, citing law enforcement sources — report that the suspect has been identified as Brian Cole.
It is still unclear whether the placement of the devices was directly connected to the Jan. 6 riots, the AP noted.
Cole was taken into custody in Virginia, though authorities have not yet publicly specified what charges he could face, according to the AP. He is described as a resident of Woodbridge, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C.
The devices never detonated, but they were discovered on Jan. 6 — the same day a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an effort to halt Congress’ certification of the 2020 presidential election results.
Surveillance footage released during the investigation showed the suspect wearing a gray hoodie, black gloves and a face mask. The person was also seen in black and gray Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes with a yellow logo, according to the FBI.
Investigators said the suspect used backpacks to transport the bombs, and that both devices were placed roughly 30 minutes apart.
