A federal magistrate judge has ruled that Brian Cole Jr., 30, from Woodbridge, Virginia, must remain in custody while awaiting trial for allegedly planting pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican headquarters on the eve of the January 6 Capitol attack. The judge’s ruling underscores significant concerns regarding public safety and the implications of election-related violence.

In a memorandum opinion, the court found that Cole “poses an intolerable risk of danger to the community if released,” thus granting the government’s motion for pretrial detention. The judge emphasized, “there are no conditions of release the court could impose to reasonably assure the safety of the community,” despite defense arguments suggesting that monitoring measures, such as home detention with GPS, could suffice.

Cole is facing two federal charges related to the construction, transport, and attempted detonation of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) near the party headquarters in Washington on January 5, 2021. Fortunately, neither device detonated, and Capitol Police were able to safely deactivate both. However, law enforcement’s search for the suspect has been ongoing since the incident.

The charges against Cole—transportation of explosive devices across state lines with intent to harm and malicious attempted destruction using explosives—carry severe penalties, including a potential 20-year prison sentence for the latter charge.

Defense attorneys contended that Cole is on the autism spectrum and has “zero criminal history,” asserting that there is “zero evidence he will flee” in a recent court filing. However, these claims did not alleviate the court’s concerns.

Cole was arrested on December 4, nearly five years after the alleged attempt to destroy the political headquarters. During a search of his home, authorities reportedly found several bomb-making materials, including metal pipes and wiring which matched components used in the IEDs planted in 2021.

Evidence presented in court filings revealed that Cole’s mobile phone interacted with multiple cell towers near the locations of both party headquarters during the period the bombs were placed. A license plate reader also identified his vehicle on Interstate 395 around 7:10 PM that evening.

Additionally, financial records suggested that Cole purchased most of the necessary components for the explosives from retail locations in Northern Virginia throughout 2019 and 2020, with purchases continuing into August 2022, well after the attempted attack.

During a video interview following his arrest, Cole initially denied involvement but later admitted to being the individual caught on surveillance footage. According to Justice Department documents, after being reminded that lying could lead to additional charges, Cole was silent for about 15 seconds before confessing, “yes,” when asked if he was the person in the video.

Cole reportedly informed investigators that he traveled to Washington to protest the 2020 election outcome and aimed to act against both parties because “they were in charge.” When asked why he targeted both party headquarters, he stated, “I really don’t like either party at this point.”