D.C. pipe bomb suspect hit with 2 new charges
Brian Cole Jr. faces new charges of attempting to use weapons of mass destruction and committing an act of terrorism while armed.
April 15, 2026 / 11:39 AM EDT / CBS News
Washington — The man accused of planting pipe bombs outside of the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters on the eve of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot now faces two additional felony charges, according to a superseding indictment made public Wednesday.
The bombs did not detonate, but the FBI has said they were viable. The case had gone cold for years, and Trump administration officials described solving it as a top priority.
Cole pleaded not guilty to the initial charges against him but has not been arraigned on the new indictment. In January, Cole was ordered to be detained in jail in the run-up to his criminal trial.
In court filings last year, the Justice Department said that Cole told investigators that he believed that the 2020 election had been tampered with and that "someone needs to speak up." Over the course of a 90-minute interview, investigators said, he "walked the interviewing agents in detail through his construction, transportation, and planting of the pipe bombs."