A 30-year-old man has been charged with transporting and attempting to detonate explosive devices at the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington D.C., a plot uncovered mere days before the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
According to sources familiar with the case, Brian Cole was reportedly subscribed to conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 US presidential election, though it remains unclear what specific theories he believed or to what extent. Cole's motives for attempting to carry out the attack are still unknown, although it is worth noting that Vice President-elect Kamala Harris narrowly avoided being targeted at one of the locations.
The discovery of the devices came just before the Capitol storming, which was sparked in part by then-President Donald Trump's false claims about the election being "rigged". This incident has raised questions over how quickly law enforcement responded to the threat, with some congressional Republicans criticizing the FBI for its perceived lack of urgency in identifying Cole after a four-year investigation.
In recent months, the FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino acknowledged that the bureau had increased its resources to try and identify the suspect. However, there has been criticism over past statements from Bongino, including claims that the pipe bomb situation was part of a "massive cover-up". A year ago, Bongino even suggested that the attack may have been carried out by an "inside job", which has raised eyebrows among some observers.
The incident highlights ongoing concerns about extremism and radicalization in the US, particularly following the January 6 storming of the Capitol.
According to sources familiar with the case, Brian Cole was reportedly subscribed to conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 US presidential election, though it remains unclear what specific theories he believed or to what extent. Cole's motives for attempting to carry out the attack are still unknown, although it is worth noting that Vice President-elect Kamala Harris narrowly avoided being targeted at one of the locations.
The discovery of the devices came just before the Capitol storming, which was sparked in part by then-President Donald Trump's false claims about the election being "rigged". This incident has raised questions over how quickly law enforcement responded to the threat, with some congressional Republicans criticizing the FBI for its perceived lack of urgency in identifying Cole after a four-year investigation.
In recent months, the FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino acknowledged that the bureau had increased its resources to try and identify the suspect. However, there has been criticism over past statements from Bongino, including claims that the pipe bomb situation was part of a "massive cover-up". A year ago, Bongino even suggested that the attack may have been carried out by an "inside job", which has raised eyebrows among some observers.
The incident highlights ongoing concerns about extremism and radicalization in the US, particularly following the January 6 storming of the Capitol.
can you even believe how close it was? i mean we already know trump's words were super inflammatory but to actually try to carry out an attack on the nbc headquarters? mind blown 
and now there are people questioning why the fbi didn't act sooner but let's not forget they've been investigating this guy for 4 years 
so at least something was done i guess?
I feel bad for Kamala Harris and everyone who was targeted because of his actions.
. And on top of it, some folks are still questioning how law enforcement responded to the threat 
? Like, come on, we need to focus on keeping each other safe here.
? That kind of talk can be super divisive and hurtful. We should just stick to the facts and support our law enforcement agencies in their efforts to keep us safe 
it's like a nightmare that never ends. i'm so tired of all these conspiracy theories and extremist groups trying to manipulate people's minds. what's next?! 
are we just going to sit back and wait for the other shoe to drop?
The fact that some congressional Republicans are criticizing the FBI for being slow to act just shows how partisan it all is. We need to focus on actual solutions to prevent extremism and radicalization, not just blame the people who aren't doing enough... 
, it's adorable! Anyway, back to this plot... I mean, can you imagine if a cat had done that? I'm pretty sure Whiskers wouldn't have been able to carry off something like that 
. On a more serious note, the FBI needs to get their act together, like, for real 
. By the way, has anyone tried that new coffee shop downtown? I heard it's got a sick latte art game 
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And can u believe that Kamala Harris almost got hit by one of the devices? 
Not cool, agents.
. This is wild stuff, and I'm just glad it didn't escalate further 
and now we're still trying to figure out his motives 
like what else were they investigating at the time? 
Dan Bongino's past comments about a "massive cover-up" are wild too 
my heart is breaking thinking about what could've happened on that day at the national committee headquarters... it's just so scary to think about all those people who were just going about their day and then this guy shows up with explosive devices ... i can only imagine how Kamala Harris must've felt if she was even targeted 
i just wish we could live in a world where people can agree on things without resorting to violence or extremism... anyway, i hope Brian Cole gets the help he needs and that he's not alone in his struggles 
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This is a really scary thing that happened just before the whole riot at the Capitol... I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all. I mean, can you even imagine what would've happened if those devices had actually gone off? It's a miracle nobody was hurt, but also a reminder of how fragile our democracy is right now.
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The FBI is still trying to figure out how they responded to the threat and I think that's really concerning too. Four-year investigation?! What was going on behind the scenes?! 
. As a parent, it makes me so nervous to think about how these kinds of extremist groups are still out there and recruiting people, especially vulnerable ones like Brian Cole. I just wish we could get to the bottom of why he felt the need to try this and what can be done to prevent something like this from happening again