We got some semi-surprising news Thursday morning as we learned that a suspect had been arrested in connection with the pipe bombs discovered near the RNC and DNC headquarters on January 6, 2021.
BREAKING: Colleague @davidspunt reports the FBI has arrested the suspect believed to be behind the planting of pipe bombs at the DNC & RNC headquarters in DC on January 5th, 2021. Suspect is a male living in Virginia. Arrested early this morning in VA.
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) December 4, 2025
READ MORE: Breaking: FBI Arrests Suspect in Jan 6 RNC/DNC Pipe Bomb Case
Law enforcement officials held a press conference on Thursday afternoon and shared the incredible amount of investigative work that went into solving the case.
Attorney General Pam Bondi opened the press conference and confirmed that 30-year-old Brian Cole Jr. of Woodbridge, Virginia, is the suspect in custody. She indicated that he is being charged with violation of 18 U.S.C. §844 — use of an explosive device — and that there may be more charges to come. She confirmed that search warrants have been/are being executed. And, she shared perhaps the biggest revelation: that this arrest was not the result of a new tip or a new witness, but rather, the result of good, diligent police and prosecutorial work.
BREAKING: Bondi says there was NO new tip. NO new witnesses. Just good, diligent police and prosecutorial work.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) December 4, 2025
It was the TRUMP FBI that solved this CRITICAL cold case. 🚨 pic.twitter.com/p7jYCWaVQ9
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the identification and arrest of Cole were not due to the discovery of new information, but rather good, old-fashioned police work — what happens "when you let good cops be cops." He noted that FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino spearheaded the investigation.
.@FBIDirectorKash on arresting Brian Cole Jr as the DC Pipe Bomber:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) December 4, 2025
"This is a good old-fashioned way of police; getting the job done. When you let good cops be cops, THIS is what happens." 👏🚨 pic.twitter.com/6qFwFrhta0
Bongino spoke briefly as well, emphasizing that "This is what it’s like when you work for a president who tells you to go get the bad guys." Like Bondi and Patel, he affirmed that the case was cracked by internal work at the FBI, in particular, the Washington Field Office (WFO).
Darren Cox, the Assistant Director in Charge of the WFO, spoke and, like the others, highlighted the coordination and cooperation between the teams working the case to solve it, noting that the amount of effort devoted to identifying the pipe bomber "cannot be overstated." He noted that it was fortunate that the bombs did not explode — but that they could have. These were live, active bombs. The team churned through "massive amounts of data" — more than three million lines of it — to identify the suspect.
U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeannine Pirro also spoke, pointing out that "Four years, 10 months, and 28 days ago, an individual placed a bomb in the vicinity of the RNC and DNC," and that it was the cumulative efforts of the men and women of the FBI, the DOJ, the Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department that resulted in his being identified. She confirmed that they had to sift through millions of lines of data — like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack. As an example, she noted that there were over 233,000 black end caps of the type used in constructing these devices, and the FBI had to go through the sale of every one of them to try to find commonality of pipe, wires, steel, etc. And, Pirro noted, it was this administration that decided to use all efforts to get it done. She wrapped by noting that, "Today begins the formal process of accountability," adding that the U.S. Attorney’s office "will take this case across the finish line."
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith also spoke briefly, noting that for nearly five years, the MPD has worked with the FBI via the Joint Terrorism Task Force to solve the case. They reviewed thousands of hours of CCTV footage and hundreds and thousands of leads. Smith stated, "Washingtonians can rest easier today knowing that the suspect responsible for this act is in custody."
The officials took a few questions but declined to delve too deeply into the evidence at this point, noting the importance of preserving the chain of custody and evidentiary value. They also declined to posit a specific motive at this time. Bongino was asked if there was a particular moment when they knew they were on the road to solving the case, and he described a phone call from Cox, in which Cox first asked if he was sitting down, and then said, "I think we got him."
They closed out the conference with Bondi noting that this was the best birthday present they could give Bongino (who turns 51 today).
The affidavit supporting the complaint filed against Cole may be viewed in full here.
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