DC pipe-bomb suspect Brian Cole Jr. is on the autism spectrum and has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), his attorneys revealed in a motion opposing the government’s bid to detain him before trial.
“Mr. Cole is an African American adult who has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Level 1 and with obsessive compulsive disorder,” defense attorneys wrote in a Tuesday filing ahead of a hearing in DC federal court, arguing that their client posed no threat to society.
The filing also noted that the pipe bombs Cole is accused of planting outside Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters on the night of Jan. 5, 2021, did not detonate.
Cole’s attorneys also underscored that the 30-year-old has no history of violent behavior in the ensuing five years.
“…The unique conditions surrounding January 5–6, 2021, are unlikely to recur in a way that would present the same risk profile for Mr. Cole,” his attorneys said.
The FBI had assessed that the two devices were “viable,” with Cole allegedly admitting to investigators he set the pipe bombs to detonate 60 minutes after planting them.
“Ultimately, it was luck, not lack of effort, that the defendant failed to detonate one or both of his devices and that no one was killed or maimed due to his actions,” prosecutors contended in court filings over the weekend.
The Justice Department filing claimed “overwhelming evidence of [Cole’s] guilt,” as well as the years he “spent deceiving those around him to avoid accountability” as grounds to keep the Virginia native behind bars.
Cole sat for an “hours-long videotaped confession, in which he explained his criminal conduct and intent in detail to investigators,” the government said.
Investigators previously cited cellphone data and Cole’s purchase history to accuse him of acquiring the components needed for the fake bombs and being in the Capitol Hill area when the bombs were planted.
During his sitdown with the feds, Cole confessed that he was motivated to plant the bombs because he did not “like either party” and wanted to attack them because “they were in charge,” prosecutors said.
Cole was arrested Dec. 4 and charged with transporting explosives across state lines with intent to kill, injure and cause damage, as well as attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials.
He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of both counts.
The previously unsolved case and the FBI’s inability to crack it had become an embarrassment to the bureau.
“There wasn’t any production of new evidence from five years ago,” FBI Director Kash Patel told “Fox News at Night” after Cole’s arrest.
“We looked at three million lines of evidence,” Patel told host Trace Gallagher. “We went back and looked at the cell phone tower data dumps. We went back and looked at the providers and what information they provided pursuant to search warrants at the time and asked questions, such as ‘Why weren’t all the phone numbers scrubbed?’ and ‘Why weren’t they connected?’ and ‘Why wasn’t there any geolocational data done?’
“Now that is either sheer incompetence or complete intentional negligence, neither of which is acceptable for this FBI.”
