A federal magistrate judge ruled Friday that Brian Cole, the Virginia man accused of planting pipe bombs outside the RNC and DNC headquarters the night before the January 6 Capitol riot, must remain behind bars pending trial.
Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh concluded that no combination of release conditions—including GPS monitoring or home incarceration—could sufficiently guarantee public safety.
In his decision, Sharbaugh pointed to the “severity of the potential danger” posed by Cole, citing evidence of the suspect’s “persistent acquisition” of bomb-making components and an alleged capacity to deploy them in public.
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Cole was arrested last month, ending a massive manhunt that had frustrated federal investigators for nearly five years. While he has not yet entered a plea, court filings indicate Cole allegedly confessed to planting the devices, though he claimed he was not targeting the Congressional certification of the 2020 election.
During the detention hearing, prosecutors argued that returning Cole to house arrest would merely place him back in the environment where he allegedly planned the attack.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Jones noted that on the morning of his arrest, Cole allegedly wiped his phone’s memory for the 943rd time since December 2020. Additionally, after recognizing himself in FBI media releases, Cole reportedly admitted to discarding bomb-making materials at a nearby dump.
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While Sharbaugh initially appeared to weigh the possibility of strict bail conditions, the government’s arguments regarding Cole’s alleged destruction of evidence and history with explosives ultimately swayed the court. Cole’s defense team is expected to appeal the detention ruling when the case is assigned to a federal district judge.
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