January 6 Investigations

U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh again ordered Brian J. Cole Jr., arrested in early December, detained pending trial in a 19‑page opinion finding no conditions of release could reasonably assure community safety after prosecutors said he confessed to planting pipe bombs outside the DNC and RNC on Jan. 5, 2021. DOJ filings say Cole gave a detailed walkthrough, told agents he believed the 2020 election was “tampered with” and that “something just snapped,” and investigators recovered bomb‑making materials and evidence of purchases through 2022, while defense lawyers note his lack of prior convictions, diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder and OCD, and several years at home without incident.