FBI’s renewed push in DC pipe bomb case shows how fresh eyes can change a stalled investigation

Federal agents searching the Virginia location of Brian Cole Jr., accused of planting tube bombs successful Washington connected Jan. 5, 2021, carried retired a step-by-step cognition this week that indicated investigators person re-energized a lawsuit that had seen small question for years.

Cole was arrested successful Woodbridge, Virginia, past week aft national investigators identified him arsenic the fishy accused of planting the tube bombs connected Jan. 5, 2021, adjacent the Capitol complex, the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Democratic National Committee (DNC). His apprehension marked the archetypal large interruption successful a lawsuit that had been mostly dormant for years.

Retired FBI peculiar cause Jason Pack, who antecedently helped pb Evidence Response Teams, told Fox News Digital the hunt followed the modular series utilized successful explosive investigations, opening with hazard clearing earlier grounds work. He said the cautious gait shows investigators treating the lawsuit arsenic if it had conscionable happened.

The cognition began with the modular information expanse utilized successful national explosives investigations.

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Brian J. Cole was arrested by the FBI for alleged engagement successful the D.C. tube weaponry incident. (Department of Justice)

"Federal agents are pursuing a deliberate and acquainted series arsenic the hunt of the Woodbridge residence continues," Pack said. "The beingness of explosive ordnance disposal technicians, weaponry techs and specialized K-9 teams indicates that the archetypal precedence is safety."

He explained that investigators indispensable archetypal wide the spot of imaginable explosive hazards to support unit and sphere the country earlier they tin statesman collecting evidence.

One of the clearest indications of the enactment underway came from the metallic overgarment cans agents carried retired of the home.

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The FBI is carrying out, "court enforced activity" astatine a location successful Woodbridge, Va., aft authorities arrested a fishy who allegedly planted tube bombs blocks from the U.S. Capitol connected Jan. 5, 2021, sources told Fox News connected Dec. 4, 2025. (WTTG)

Pack said metallic overgarment cans are a preferred method for collecting and transporting suspected explosive worldly due to the fact that they bounds contamination and support volatile samples. The cans besides let forensic laboratories to analyse residues, components and chemic signatures that mightiness link a instrumentality to a circumstantial idiosyncratic oregon technique.

Once the country is declared safe, grounds teams tin determination wrong the home.

FBI Evidence Response Team members, guided by a national hunt warrant and its attachments, typically grip the adjacent signifier of the hunt and usage those documents to find what they are authorized to seize.

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The FBI swarmed the location pursuing the suspect's arrest. (WTTG)

Those categories see explosive components oregon precursor chemicals; tools oregon materials utilized to conception destructive devices; physics devices specified arsenic phones, hard drives and laptops; records, notes oregon integer communications that could amusement planning, motive oregon knowledge; and items that corroborate identity, occupancy oregon power of the residence.

In this investigation, agents are looking for grounds that establishes intent, capableness and immoderate links to the explosive devices planted connected Jan. 5, 2021.

Once the grounds is collected, it moves into the agelong analytical signifier of the investigation.

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Sketch of Brian Cole Jr.'s archetypal national tribunal quality successful Washington, D.C. Friday, December 5, 2025. Cole is the pb fishy successful the DC tube incident. (Dana Verkouteren)

Any electronics seized volition acquisition integer forensics to retrieve communications, searches oregon determination information that whitethorn uncover readying oregon coordination. Laboratories volition besides analyse residues oregon components to find whether they lucifer the devices utilized astatine the Capitol complex, the RNC oregon the DNC.

Pack said the hunt successful Woodbridge shows the FBI is treating the probe arsenic if it had conscionable begun, which helium said tin "change the full trajectory" of the case.

"I person been the caller acceptable of eyes connected acold cases, and I worked them arsenic if the transgression happened that morning," helium said. "The archetypal investigators often bash fantabulous work. A caller position simply asks antithetic questions and sometimes spots the item that yet brings the blameworthy to justice."

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The fishy is seen walking extracurricular the Democratic National Committee office moments earlier placing 1 of 2 tube bombs discovered adjacent enactment offices successful Washington, D.C. (FBI)

Pack said the U.S. Attorney’s Office is liable for obtaining the warrants and tribunal orders that determination an probe from suspicion to proof.

"When the contiguous information has passed, older cases often extremity up folded into the stack of files handled by overworked Assistant United States Attorneys who are already juggling emergencies of their own," helium said. "That tin dilatory down warrants and subpoenas, not due to the fact that anyone is dragging their feet, but due to the fact that they are drowning successful urgent matters."

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The aforesaid pressures deed FBI agents, Pack said, arsenic caller threats look each time and older cases get pushed backmost portion "investigators tally to the dependable of guns."

"There are lone 12,000 FBI agents successful the world, and that tiny radical is liable for handling each menace that comes our way," Pack said. "When enactment pours caller resources backmost into a case, the full instrumentality turns guardant again. Sunlight finds what shadows hide, and a 2nd look often makes each the difference."

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Cole had his archetypal tribunal quality Friday aft being arrested the time earlier and charged with transporting an explosive instrumentality successful interstate commerce and with maliciously attempting to destruct spot utilizing explosive materials.

He has been speaking with investigators and reportedly admitted to planting the devices and expressing doubts astir the result of the 2020 statesmanlike election, a root adjacent to the probe told Fox News.