Virginia man charged with planting pipe bombs in DC on eve of Capitol riot appears in court

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An FBI truck departs the street where the FBI made an arrest and are investigating a house in Woodbridge, Va., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

WASHINGTON – A Virginia man on Friday made his first court appearance on charges that he planted a pair of pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties in Washington on the eve of a mob’s attack on U.S. Capitol.

U.S. Magistrate Moxila Upadhyaya ordered Brian Cole Jr. to remain in jail a day after his arrest on explosives charges. He is due back in court Dec. 15 for a detention hearing. He did not enter a plea.

An FBI affidavit says investigators identified Cole as a suspect through analysis of credit card charges related to t