The man accused of planting pipe bombs near the headquarters of both major political parties ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol protest pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to newly filed terrorism-related charges.
Brian Cole Jr., 30, appeared in federal court wearing tan jail clothing and glasses, showing little emotion as he entered his plea. When asked how he pleaded, Cole responded, “Not guilty.”
A superseding indictment by a grand jury charged Cole on April 15 with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and committing an act of terrorism while armed. Those charges are in addition to earlier counts alleging transportation of explosives across state lines with intent to kill or damage property and attempted destruction using explosive materials.
The Justice Department says Cole, a resident of Woodbridge, Virginia, planted two homemade explosive devices in backpacks outside the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., on the night of Jan. 5, 2021. The devices did not detonate.
According to the indictment, Cole’s alleged actions were intended to “influence policy” and “intimidate and coerce a significant portion of the civilian population,” language that underpins the government’s terrorism charge.
Cole was arrested roughly five years after the incident at his parents’ home. Authorities say he later admitted involvement during an interview with investigators, telling them he became “bewildered” by conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 presidential election and that he “snapped” after watching events unfold.
If convicted on the most serious charge, Cole faces a possible life sentence. He remains in custody pending trial.
Defense attorneys have pointed to Cole’s lack of criminal history and have said he has been diagnosed with autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder. They have also mounted a broader legal challenge to the case.
Last month, Cole’s lawyers filed a motion seeking to dismiss the charges, arguing he should be covered under President Donald Trump’s sweeping pardons issued to some individuals connected to Jan. 6-related offenses. That motion remains pending before the court.
In the motion, Cole’s attorneys accused the Trump administration of targeting “a Black man” as one who will “go down in history as the only alleged, accused January 6-related individual to serve not only a jail sentence, but to serve the rest of his life in prison.”
Meanwhile, Cole’s defense has floated a theory that another suspect may have planted the bombs centered on former Capitol Police officer Shauni Kerkhoff, arguing in court filings that she was investigated by the FBI as a person of interest during the same period the FBI began looking into Cole. An April 1 defense filing referenced investigative steps taken by agents, including interviews, surveillance, and a polygraph examination, and his lawyers are seeking to obtain related materials through subpoenas under Rule 17(c) as part of their trial preparation.
The theory has also surfaced in outside media coverage, including reporting by Blaze Media last fall, which has been cited in broader public discussion of the case. Cole’s counsel was separately hit with a government contempt claim on April 1 after including details in a public filing about Kerkhoff’s home address and previously undisclosed information related to the investigation into her prior to Cole’s arrest.
EX-CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER SUES BLAZE OVER SUGGESTION SHE PLANTED JAN. 6 PIPE BOMB
Kerkhoff’s lawyers have vehemently pushed back on prior allegations that she laid the pipe bombs, and filed a defamation lawsuit on Wednesday accusing the outlet and the reporter, who has since been fired from the company, of relying on a faulty “gait analysis” of surveillance footage to falsely claim she was the person who planted the pipe bombs.
Cole is due to appear in court for a follow-up hearing on May 29.