WASHINGTON, D.C., December 6, 2025
Our article presents the facts as confirmed in federal records about the arrest of a Virginia man accused of transporting and planting two improvised explosive devices in the nation’s capital; those devices were placed near the headquarters of both major political parties in the hours before January 6, 2021, and were later made safe by explosives technicians. According to official releases from the FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION and the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, investigators have now charged a single suspect after years of collecting and reviewing evidence tied to the case.
The U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA states that Brian J Cole Jr, age thirty, of Woodbridge, Virginia, was arrested on December 4, 2025, and charged in a federal complaint with transporting an explosive device in interstate commerce with intent to kill, injure, or intimidate, and with attempted malicious destruction by means of fire and explosives; the charges arise from two improvised explosive devices that federal authorities say were planted on January 5, 2021, outside the Republican National Committee headquarters and the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C. The complaint describes the items as functioning improvised explosive devices with a main charge, fuzing system, and container; they were discovered the following day and rendered safe by the hazardous devices section of UNITED STATES CAPITOL POLICE, working alongside federal partners.
According to the federal filing, investigators with the FBI WASHINGTON FIELD OFFICE examined surveillance video from the evening of January 5; they identified an individual walking through the Capitol Hill area wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, face covering, gloves, eyeglasses, and carrying a backpack, and the footage showed this person stopping near the RNC and DNC locations along a mapped route. The complaint further states that a Nissan Sentra registered to Cole was recorded by license-plate readers in the vicinity of that route on the same evening; investigators then reviewed telephone records and, according to the complaint, determined that Cole’s cell phone connected with towers serving the areas around both headquarters between 7:39 p.m. and 8:24 p.m., in a pattern that the FBI says corresponds to the path seen in the surveillance video.
The U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE notes that Cole was taken into custody in Virginia on the morning of December 4 and brought under federal supervision; officials state that he will appear in court on the complaint while the case proceeds through the ordinary process of hearings and further filings. At a public announcement carried by the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Attorney General Pamela Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel described the investigation as a prolonged joint effort; they said agents, analysts, and partner agencies returned to the evidence repeatedly over several years, re-examining the devices, the video, and the associated digital records as new tools and methods became available.
The federal complaint and related announcements explain that this case is being led by the FBI WASHINGTON FIELD OFFICE in coordination with the U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA; the investigation is also supported by UNITED STATES CAPITOL POLICE, the BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES, and the METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. Officials emphasize that the complaint represents an allegation; under federal law, Cole is presumed innocent unless and until the government proves guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in court. Our article remains limited to what these first-hand federal documents describe; we have not added interpretation, speculation, or any detail that cannot be found in the official record.
The Appalachian Post is an independent West Virginia news outlet dedicated to clean, verified, first-hand reporting. We do not publish rumors. We do not run speculation. Every fact we present must be supported by original documentation, official statements, or direct evidence. When secondary sources are used, we clearly identify them and never treat them as first-hand confirmation. We avoid loaded language, emotional framing, or accusatory wording, and we do not attack individuals, organizations, or other news outlets. Our role is to report only what can be verified through first-hand sources and allow readers to form their own interpretations. If we cannot confirm a claim using original evidence, we state clearly that we reviewed first-hand sources and could not find documentation confirming it. Our commitment is simple: honest reporting, transparent sourcing, and zero speculation.
Sources
• FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
• U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
• U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
• FBI WASHINGTON FIELD OFFICE
• UNITED STATES CAPITOL POLICE
• BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES
• METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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