Suspect in D.C. pipe bomb case said to have confessed to investigators, AP sources say

WASHINGTON — The man accused of planting a pair of pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties in Washington on the eve of the U.S. Capitol attack confessed to the act during an hours-long interview with investigators, two people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press.

Brian Cole Jr. spoke to law-enforcement officers for more than four hours after his arrest, a federal prosecutor, Charles Jones, said Friday during Cole’s initial court appearance.

The prosecutor did not elaborate on what Cole said to investigators, but two people familiar with the matter told the AP he confessed to planting the devices Jan. 5, 2021. Cole also indicated that he believed conspiracy theories around the 2020 election that President Trump has insisted was stolen and expressed views supportive of Trump, said the people, who were not authorized to discuss by name an ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The details add to a still-emerging portrait of the 30-year-old suspect from Woodbridge, Va., and it was not immediately clear what other information or perspectives he may have shared while cooperating with law enforcement following his arrest Thursday.

U.S. Magistrate Moxila Upadhyaya ordered Cole to remain in jail. He did not enter a plea and is due back in court Dec. 15 for a detention hearing.

Cole, wearing a tan-colored jail uniform, answered a few routine questions from the magistrate during Friday’s brief hearing. Relatives of Cole attended the hearing and called out words of encouragement as he was led out of the courtroom.

“We love you!” one shouted.

“We’re here for you, baby,” another said.

Defense attorney John Shoreman declined to comment on the charges after the hearing.

“We’re in the very, very early stages,” he said.

An FBI affidavit says investigators identified Cole as a suspect through analysis of credit card charges related to the purchase of pipe bomb components, information from cellphone towers and a license plate reader.

Nobody was hurt before the bombs were rendered safe, but the FBI has said both devices could have been lethal.

Federal authorities have not publicly disclosed any information about a possible motive or whether there is any connection to the attack on the Capitol the following day by Trump supporters.

The arrest marks the first time investigators have publicly identified a suspect in an act that has been an enduring mystery for nearly five years in the shadow of the violent Capitol attack. For years, the FBI struggled to pinpoint a suspect despite hundreds of tips, a review of tens of thousands of video files and a significant number of interviews.

U.S. Atty. Jeanine Pirro told ABC News Live that she believes it is “unmistakable” that Cole was responsible for placing the pipe bombs based on evidence collected by investigators.

Surveillance video captured the suspect’s movements through the area where the pipe bombs were placed and the surrounding neighborhood. The suspect, whose face was obscured by a mask, was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, gloves and Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes.

“He told us that he had those sneakers and that he got rid of them after he placed the pipe bombs,” Pirro said.

The FBI said a comparison of records from nearby cell towers and Cole’s cellphone indicate he was near the RNC and DNC around the time that the pipe bombs were placed there.

“In my mind, they were on the right path when it was clear that the cellphone was pinging in the exact locations where we had the video of the suspect walking along the area,” Pirro said. “Everywhere he walked, his cellphone was pinging at the cell tower. So it is unmistakable that he was the guy who was walking along and placing those items.”

Investigators also obtained credit card records that show Cole bought items consistent with components used to make the pipe bombs placed at the RNC and DNC, according to the FBI.

Trump lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden but promoted conspiracy theories that Democrats stole the election from him. A mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, after Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House.

Tucker, Richer and Kunzelman write for the Associated Press.