The FBI arrested a 30-year-old Virginia man on Thursday suspected of planting two pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican national committee headquarters in Washington on the eve of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrest of Brian Cole, Jr., of Woodbridge, Virginia, ending a nearly five-year manhunt that included the release of surveillance footage and a $500,000 reward.
Surveillance video from January 5, 2021, showed an individual wearing a light grey hooded sweater and backpack placing one device near a bench outside the Democratic National Committee building and another at the Republican National Committee headquarters, both near the Capitol.
The bombs, equipped with kitchen timers and homemade black powder, were discovered the following day as supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol and were safely deactivated without exploding.
Cole, who lives with his parents and works for a bail bond company, is expected to appear in federal court in Washington, D.C., though specific charges remain unclear.
The pipe bombs were found hours after thousands gathered near the White House for a Trump rally and marched to the Capitol, where rioters breached barricades, assaulted approximately 140 police officers, and caused more than $2.8 million in damage.
Earlier this year, President Trump, upon returning to office, pardoned or commuted sentences for more than 1,500 people charged or convicted in connection with the Capitol events and directed the Justice Department to drop remaining cases.