10
Loading video...
By Andrew Stanton
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The arrest of Brian Cole in connection to two pipe bombs being placed in Washington, D.C., ahead of the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol building on Thursday drew reaction from individuals who were arrested over their participation in the riot.
Why It Matters
Cole was taken into federal custody by agents investigating pipe bombs placed outside the Republican and Democratic National Committees, which did not detonate, on January 5, 2021—just one day before the violent protest of the 2020 presidential election results. Investigators have searched for the suspect for five years. Law enforcement has not said what charges he will face.
Read More on Politics
What to Know
More details about the charges Cole will be facing were not immediately available Thursday afternoon. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had offered a $500,000 reward, and investigators spent nearly half a decade trying to identify the suspect. Questions about his identity have loomed over the fallout of January 6.
Several individuals who were charged and pardoned for participating in the January 6 riot reacted to his arrest on social media. Many reacted with skepticism toward his arrest, though more details had not been made public.
Derrick Evans, a former West Virginia state legislator who pleaded guilty to a felony for his role in January 6, wrote in a post to X, “Do you think this is the real J6 pipe bomber?”
...
Dominic Box, a man from Savannah, Georgia who was convicted for participating in the riot, wrote that the suspect “was just arrested using OLD evidence gathered under the Biden admin. He questioned whether Cole is a supporter of President Donald Trump, though more details about Cole’s motives have not been made public.
“Stating that Brian Cole was arrested ‘in connection’ with the J6 Pipe Bomber investigation is NOT the same as saying he is the J6 Pipe Bomber,” he wrote to X. “Words matter and this whole story is about to get a lot more interesting.”
Another January 6 defendant John Strand wrote to X, “BREAKING: The FBI has arrested a male suspect in the J6 pipe bomb case. Is the Fedsurrection finally unraveling?”
Taylor Johnatakis, a Washington state man who was sentenced and later pardoned for the riot, wrote on X, “It's all way to suspicious...I have a hard time [believing] anything about J6...The Truth might be to much to reveal...”
The arrest also drew reactions from members of Congress, separate from those involved in January 6.
What People Are Saying
Representative Adriano Espaillat, a New York Democrat, wrote in a statement: “We are grateful to law enforcement for the actions to apprehend and charge Brian Cole, a suspect who is believed to have placed pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic Party headquarters before the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.”
Representative Barry Loudermilk, a Georgia Republican, wrote to X: “The FBI’s arrest of the alleged January 6 pipe bomber is a tremendous breakthrough in a mystery that has haunted the country for nearly five years. I want to thank the FBI for their diligence and continued partnership with my Select Subcommittee in sharing documents, informant information, and other evidence. While this is an ongoing investigation, my Select Subcommittee will continue its work with the FBI and other agencies and entities to get to the truth.”
What Happens Next
More information about Cole’s arrest, including the specific charges he may be facing, could be made public later Thursday.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines