(Washington) A 30-year-old suspect was arrested Thursday in the investigation into the planting of homemade bombs in front of the headquarters of the two main American political parties on the eve of the assault on the Capitol in January 2021.
Published on
This is the first arrest announced in more than four years in this case for which the FBI, the federal police, offered a reward of US$500,000 in exchange for any information leading to the identification of the suspect.
The persistent mystery about the identity and motivations of the bomber of these homemade bombs, which did not explode, has fueled numerous conspiracy theories about a possible manipulation of the assault on the Capitol the next day, January 6, 2021, by supporters of Donald Trump.
“This morning, Brian Cole was arrested and charged with planting the bombs at the Republican and Democratic Party headquarters on January 5, 2021,” near the Capitol, Attorney General Pam Bondi said during a press conference.
PHOTO ALEX BRANDON, ASSOCIATED PRESS
United States Attorney General Pam Bondi
He is being prosecuted for attempted use of explosives for malicious purposes and transporting explosives to commit an act of violence, according to documents released simultaneously by the prosecution.
The 30-year-old was arrested in Woodbridge, Virginia, near Washington, where he lives with his mother and other family members, according to judicial authorities. He works in an office guaranteeing the payment of bail by inmates for their parole, according to the same sources.
“We have solved this case,” assured FBI Director Kash Patel, explaining that this arrest was the result of careful re-examination and technical analysis of all the evidence accumulated over the years.
Asked about the possible political motivations of the suspect or a link between his actions and the assault on the Capitol, the Justice Department said it could not respond as long as investigations continued.
On January 6, 2021, hundreds of supporters of Donald Trump, then outgoing president, heated by his baseless accusations of electoral fraud, stormed the Capitol, the sanctuary of American democracy, to try to prevent the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory.
The bombs, discovered 15 hours later, had not exploded and may have been intended only as a diversion to keep the police away from the Capitol just before the assault, analysts had estimated.
On January 20, upon his return to the White House, Donald Trump pardoned by decree some 1,250 convicted for the assault on the Capitol, commuting the sentences of 14 others and ordering a halt to the proceedings against a few hundred defendants still awaiting trial. He thus erased with a stroke of a marker the largest investigation ever carried out by the Ministry of Justice.
