In a significant breakthrough nearly five years after the event, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested a man accused of placing two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties. This act of violence occurred on the eve of the January 6, 2021, siege on the US Capitol.
A Long-Awaited Arrest After a Five-Year Probe
The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Brian Cole Jr., was taken into custody following an investigation that had confounded authorities for close to five years. Law enforcement agencies are now piecing together a detailed portrait of Cole. People familiar with the matter informed The Associated Press that Cole told investigators he believed in conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 presidential election. Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly, and falsely, claimed that election was stolen from him in favour of Democrat Joe Biden. This claim has been thoroughly debunked by election officials across the United States, including Trump's own former Attorney General, William Barr, who confirmed there was no widespread fraud.
FBI Director Kash Patel, addressing the arrest on Thursday, stated that it aligned with President Donald Trump's commitment to securing the nation's capital. "When you attack American citizens, when you attack our institutions of legislation, when you attack the nation’s capital, you attack the very being of our way of life," Patel said. "And this FBI and this Department of Justice stand here to tell you that we will always combat it." This stance marks a notable shift for Patel, who prior to his appointment, as a conservative podcast host, referred to the January 6 rioters as "political prisoners" and offered them free legal representation.
A Stark Contrast in Handling Political Violence
The arrest has thrown into sharp relief the Trump administration's markedly different approach towards acts of political violence depending on the perpetrators. While the pipe bomb suspect's arrest is being touted as a demonstration of law and order, the administration has simultaneously pursued efforts to pardon individuals involved in the January 6 Capitol riot, fire prosecutors handling those cases, and recast the narrative of that day.
Critics argue this represents an attempt to rewrite history. "The administration has ignored and attempted to whitewash the violence committed by rioters on Jan. 6 because they were the president's supporters. They were trying to install him a second time against the will of the voters in 2020," said Michael Romano, a former Justice Department prosecutor who worked on riot cases before leaving this year. "And it feels like the effort to ignore that is purely transactional."
This disconnect is evident in internal actions. Earlier this year, the Justice Department demanded the FBI provide names of agents involved in January 6 investigations, a move feared as a prelude to mass firings. In August, Patel fired Brian Driscoll, who, as the FBI's acting director early in Trump's term, had resisted handing over those names. Furthermore, the administration has dismissed or demoted numerous prosecutors working on January 6 cases, including over two dozen temporary lawyers who were moved into permanent roles after Trump's 2024 election victory.
Internal Tensions and the Downplaying of January 6
The internal contradictions within the administration's top law enforcement ranks are palpable. Patel's deputy, Dan Bongino, had previously suggested on his podcast that federal resources were wasted probing January 6 rioters and anti-abortion activists, sarcastically asking if "Grandma is in the gulag for a trespassing charge." Intriguingly, Bongino also speculated last year that the pipe bomb incident was an "inside job" involving a "massive cover-up." However, after joining the FBI, he described the pipe bomb investigation as a top priority, claiming on Thursday, "We were going to track this person to the end of the earth. There was no way he was getting away."
The administration's effort to minimise the severity of the Capitol attack is further illustrated by a recent incident where two federal prosecutors were locked out of their systems and placed on leave after filing court papers describing the Capitol attackers as a "mob of rioters." The Justice Department later submitted a revised filing that removed references to the January 6 riot. This downplaying occurs despite harrowing accounts from law enforcement. In one dismissed case—due to presidential pardons—a defendant was accused of hurling an explosive device and a large piece of wood at officers. Prosecutors noted that some officers "believed they were going to die" and several suffered temporary hearing loss.
To date, no public link has been established between the pipe bombs planted on January 5, 2021, and the riot that erupted the following day. The arrest of Brian Cole Jr. stands as a critical development in its own right, yet it unfolds against a deeply polarised backdrop where the pursuit of justice appears inextricably linked to political allegiance.
