Federal Magistrate Judge Denies Pretrial Release of Man Charged with Planting Pipe Bombs
A federal magistrate judge has refused to order the pretrial release of Brian J. Cole Jr., the man charged with planting two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican national parties on the eve of the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh ruled that Cole must remain jailed before trial, citing that there are no conditions of release that can reasonably protect the public from the danger that Cole allegedly poses.
Confession and Charges
According to Justice Department prosecutors, Cole confessed to placing the pipe bombs outside the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee headquarters, only hours before a mob of President Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol. Prosecutors claim that Cole said he hoped the explosives would detonate and “hoped there would be news about it.” Fortunately, the bombs did not detonate, but if they had, the results could have been devastating, causing terror, property damage, and harm to innocent bystanders.
Cole told investigators that he believed someone needed to “speak up” for people who believed the 2020 election was stolen, and that he wanted to target the country’s political parties because they were “in charge.” He faces up to 10 years of imprisonment on one charge and up to 20 years of imprisonment on a second charge, which also carries a five-year mandatory minimum prison sentence.
Defense and Ruling
Cole’s attorneys requested that he be released on home detention with GPS monitoring, citing that he doesn’t have a criminal record, has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and lives in a stable home with his parents in Woodbridge, Virginia. However, prosecutors argued that Cole continued to purchase bomb-making components for months after the January 6 riot, and that he told the FBI that he planted the pipe bombs because “something just snapped.”
Judge Sharbaugh wrote that “the sudden and abrupt motivation behind Mr. Cole’s alleged actions presents concerns about how quickly the same abrupt and impulsive conduct might recur.” As a result, the judge denied the request for pretrial release, deeming that Cole poses a danger to the community. For more information on this case, visit Here
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