The most elusive mystery of the days surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack has for years been the two pipe bombs planted outside the Democratic and Republican National Committee offices on the eve of the riot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Clues emerged, like the suspect\u2019s height and the distinctive Nike shoes he wore, but pressure mounted on the FBI as nearly five years passed with no arrests \u2014 until the end of last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brian Cole Jr., 30, was arrested Thursday and faces two charges tied to the bombs. He\u2019s the first suspect publicly identified by law enforcement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As investigators reveal new evidence and the Justice Department prepares for prosecution, the mystery has started to unfurl. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJan. 6 was a day where people from all over the country were present in D.C.,\u201d said Rizwan Qureshi, a former federal prosecutor with the U.S. attorney\u2019s office for the District of Columbia. \u201cSo you had conceivably thousands of potential suspects.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the Trump administration crowed about catching Cole, they had few details to offer about what pushed him to place the pipe bombs outside of each office and the extent to which his actions tied in with other Jan. 6 activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their press conference was largely devoted to stressing that they got no new tips or leads in the case, and they accused the Biden\u2002<\/u><\/a>administration of failing to commit to solving the crime. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Charging documents and details shared by officials suggest the FBI was able to track Cole down by analyzing sales records of parts for each component used to make the bomb, as well as analyzing cell tower data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is a bit weird that we are arresting this guy so late,\u201d Qureshi said. \u201cBut gathering evidence from retailers, the manufacturer of the different components of the pipe bomb \u2026 it\u2019s not easy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro\u2002<\/u><\/a>said there were 233,000 end caps sold like those used in the bomb allegedly made by Cole. He purchased 12 black end caps and two galvanized end caps from four different Home Depot stores in Northern Virginia from October 2019 to November 2020, the complaint says, in addition to various other items. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want you to think about the fact that the FBI had to go through the sale of every one of them to try to find commonality with an individual, along with the purchase of the pipe itself, the cap ends, the wires, the steel and the 9-volt batteries \u2014 every one of those had to be mined and remined to the point where we were able to then connect [it to an individual],\u201d Pirro said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What evidence has been shared publicly is largely circumstantial, making it more critical for the government to pin down Cole\u2019s motive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe complaint does not describe the defendant\u2019s motive or include direct evidence of his intent in planting the bombs,\u201d said Alexis Loeb, a former deputy chief of the Justice Department\u2019s Capitol Siege Section. \u201cWhile a complaint often does not include all the evidence the government has on hand, I would expect to see this aspect of the case feature more prominently at any trial.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Qureshi, who is now a defense attorney, said that a good defense lawyer would argue there are \u201ccompletely innocent, peaceful reasons\u201d for Cole\u2019s purchases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause it\u2019s, I don\u2019t know, fertilizer for his lawn? Or why would he buy components of a pipe bomb three years prior to planting?\u201d the former prosecutor posited. \u201cThings like that, to put doubt in the jury\u2019s mind.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Qureshi added that investigators have not indicated there is any DNA evidence linking Cole to the pipe bomb \u2014 something that likely would have featured prominently in the charging documents if they had it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At this stage, Cole appears to have been largely cooperative with investigators. <\/p>\n\n\n\n