Alleged DC pipe bomber to appear at detention hearing as his attorneys argue he should be released from jail

By Holmes Lybrand, CNN

(CNN) — Ahead of a detention hearing Tuesday for the man accused of placing two pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic National Committee buildings in 2021, defense attorneys argue their client should be released from jail while awaiting trial, in part because the bombs never detonated.

Attorneys for the 30-year-old Virginia man, Brian Cole Jr., said he has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder – listing those as the first two factors in arguing for pre-trial release.

“The question is whether there is a present danger—a contention the government never actually makes, and something belied by the past four years in which Mr. Cole has lived without incident,” Cole’s attorneys argued in their filing, adding, “No device detonated, no person was injured, and no property was damaged.”

But it could be difficult to convince a federal judge to release Cole amid the evidence prosecutors have already presented in court filings, more of which could be revealed during Tuesday’s hearing.

In an earlier filing arguing for Cole’s detention, prosecutors laid out a detailed list of the bomb-making materials they said he purchased in 2018 through 2020 and used to make the pipe bombs left outside the Washington, DC-based RNC and DNC in January 2021.

While Cole initially denied during an initial interview with investigators that he had placed the bombs, prosecutors say Cole later changed his tune after being shown a still image of himself on surveillance video around the time the bombs were planted.

“The defendant asked for time to process things,” prosecutors wrote.

Cole then proceeded to explain in detail how he had built the bombs, including how “he learned to make the black powder from a video game that listed the ingredients” and also watched “various science-related videos on YouTube to assist him in creating the devices,” the filing states.

Cole, when asked about why he placed the bombs, said that “something just snapped” after “watching everything, just everything getting worse,” according to prosecutors.

He also said his interest in history spurred the idea to use pipe bombs, specifically their use during the Troubles in Ireland, the court document states.

“The defendant wanted to do something ‘to the parties’ because ‘they were in charge,’” according to the court document.

Cole denied that his actions were directed toward Congress or related to the Electoral College certification, which was the at the center of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol the following day.

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