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Brian Cole Jr motive: Ex-FBI agent explains how DC pipe bomber was caught; why it took so long
FBI hasn't released details on suspect Brian Cole Jr. or charges. Ex-FBI agent says homemade, mundane-material devices made the case hard to trace for years.
The capture of 30-year-old Brian Cole Jr of Woodbridge, Virginia, has reopened interest in an infamous case that has remained unsolved for five years and continued to puzzle the FBI. But, the identification of Cole Jr as the pipe bomber has only deepened the mystery around it.
The DC pipe bombing incident on January 5, 2021, the eve of the January 6 2021, Capitol Hill riots, has been a challenging investigation for the FBI, to say the least. The only place to look for the suspect's identity was a blurry surveillance footage in which little could be determined with certainty.
In the footage, the pipe bomber could be seen in a black hoodie planting the bomb and leaving the place. The face, skin color, and gender were impossible to determine from them. The FBI released photos from the footage with potential identifying information; still, no headway could be made.
So, what changed? How did the FBI zoom in on the 30-year-old Woodbridge resident?
Former FBI Agent Offers Insight
The FBI has not revealed any details surrounding the suspect or his motive. It was reported that the suspect is from Woodbridge and his name is Brian Cole Jr. It is also not clear what charges he will face.
Amid this mystery surrounding his arrest, and the FBI's silence, Tracy Schandler Walder, a former CIA Officer and FBI Special Agent, offered her take on whether the capture of Brian Cole Jr was possible, and what changed after five years of probe that led to the agency identifying him.
"I think the first thing is that this device is a homemade device," Schandler Walder said in a video on Instagram. "The problem with that is they are actually extremely difficult to trace. They are made with very mundane materials from."
Also read: Brian Cole: 5 things to know about Woodbridge, VA man identified as DC pipe bomb suspect
"The next thing is that obviously you've seen the pictures, his hands are covered, mask on, and then a hoodie, if not maybe some kind of covering of their head," she explained. "In my opinion, it was near impossible to tell what race this person was. I always felt that it was a male, although I know there was lots of conspiracy theories that it was a female.
"I always felt that it was a male, but I can see why it would be difficult even to determine the gender."
Then she explains how she believes the FBI has caught the suspect and zeroed in on Cole Jr.
"Now, it's my understanding just based on reports I'm seeing from the FBI that he was caught really simply because they took agents who had been working the case for a long time, moved them to other cases and brought new agents in," she says.
