WASHINGTON—Brian Cole Jr., the man suspected of placing two pipe bombs in Washington before the events of Jan. 6, 2021, appeared before a judge on Dec. 5 in his first court appearance since the Justice Department announced the charges.
The Justice Department is seeking pretrial detention for Cole, a 30-year-old resident of Northern Virginia. In a criminal complaint filed on Dec. 3, the FBI accused Cole of violating federal law related to the attempted use and transportation of an explosive device.
Cole faces the prospect of decades in prison and steep fines. A detention hearing has been set for Dec. 15.
The hearing comes nearly five years after the events of Jan. 6, 2021, which prompted congressional inquiries and multiple prosecutions under the Biden administration. Yet, questions remained about improvised explosive devices found near the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national committees in Washington….