In brief
A federal judge has upheld the detention of Brian J. Cole Jr., who is charged with placing two pipe bombs near the national headquarters of the Democratic and Republican parties prior to the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack. Despite his attorneys arguing for his release due to mental health issues, the judge emphasized concerns about public safety and potential premeditation behind the alleged crimes.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has denied the pretrial release of Brian J. Cole Jr., who is charged with depositing two pipe bombs in close proximity to the national headquarters of both the Democratic and Republican parties just before the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. District Judge Amir Ali made the decision on Thursday, reaffirming the earlier ruling from U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh, which indicated that no release conditions could sufficiently shield the public from the alleged danger posed by Cole.
Cole, aged 30, has pleaded not guilty to the allegations that he constructed and planted two pipe bombs outside the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., on January 5, 2021.
Living with his parents in Woodbridge, Virginia, Cole is diagnosed with autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and defense attorneys claim he has no prior criminal history.
Since his arrest on December 4, Cole has remained in custody. Authorities utilized phone records among other evidence to classify him as a suspect in a case that perplexed the FBI for over four years.
Prosecutors allege that during investigations, Cole confessed to attempting to perform an extraordinary act of political violence because he was dissatisfied with the responses of party leaders regarding the 2020 presidential election. He reportedly stated that something just snapped.
However, prosecutors argued against his claims of a psychological breakdown, stating, While the defendant may have reached a psychological breaking point, his crimes were anything but impulsive. In fact, the defendant's pipe bombs — and the fear and terror they instilled in the general public — were the product of weeks of premeditation and planning.
In seeking Cole's release, defense lawyers proposed that he be placed on home detention with electronic monitoring, arguing that a defense expert determined the devices near the RNC and DNC were non-viable as explosive materials.
They contended, In fact, there was no possibility of death, injury, or destruction as the devices were harmless.
If convicted, Cole could face a maximum of ten years on one charge and up to twenty years on another which includes a five-year mandatory minimum prison sentence.
