A surveillance image released by the FBI shows a person in Washington, D.C., January 6, 2021. The FBI issued a notice, which features this surveillance photo, requesting information on person(s) responsible for pipe bombs left at the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters. FBI/Handout via REUTERS
The individual arrested Thursday over charges that he planted pipe bombs in Washington, D.C. the day before the Jan. 6 Capitol riot told law enforcement that he believed that the 2020 election was “stolen,” CNN reported Friday, a false claim fiercely promoted by President Donald Trump and his allies.
The new revelation may put several prominent right-wing fixtures and Trump allies in a difficult position, with some, such as Benny Johnson, having insisted that the Jan. 6 pipe bomber must have been a “radical anti-Trump activist.”
The suspect is 30-year-old Brian Cole Jr., a resident of Woodbridge, Virginia, who is alleged to have planted bombs at the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters. He faces two federal charges.
