(Adnkronos) – The FBI has arrested Brian Cole, a Virginia man suspected of planting the homemade bombs found on January 5, 2021, near the headquarters of the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Democratic National Committee (DNC) in Washington, the evening before the Capitol assault. US media report that the breakthrough comes after nearly five years of investigations, during which investigators analyzed tens of thousands of videos and hundreds of tips and phone data.
Security cameras had captured a hooded and masked individual placing the two devices, which the FBI considered “functional and potentially lethal.” One of the bombs was discovered the following morning less than six meters from where then Vice President-elect Kamala Harris passed, drawing police away from the Capitol during the hours when Donald Trump’s supporters began to breach security barriers.
The investigation has long been accompanied by political pressure and conspiracy theories, fueled also by the fact that one of the main proponents of these narratives, Dan Bongino, is now the FBI’s deputy director. Before his appointment, Bongino had publicly claimed that the office knew the bomber’s identity and was concealing it, implying an internal connection to the January 6 assault. Upon reaching the top ranks of the Bureau, he continued to push for the investigation, announcing an increase in investigative resources and new internal reviews.
