Alleged D.C. pipe bomber appearing in court to contest continued detention

Washington — The Virginia antheral accused of planting 2 tube bombs extracurricular the Republican and Democratic Party office connected the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot volition beryllium successful tribunal Tuesday arsenic his lawyers and national prosecutors reason implicit whether helium should stay detained successful the lead-up to a transgression trial.

Justice Department lawyers person argued successful court papers that Brian Cole, 30, poses an "intolerable risk" to the assemblage and should proceed to beryllium detained. He faces 2 transgression charges stemming from the alleged planting of 2 improvised explosive devices successful the vicinity of the RNC and DNC office successful Washington, D.C., astir 5 years ago. He has not yet entered a plea to the charges. 

Prosecutors urged the tribunal to support Cole successful custody "considering the utmost and profoundly superior quality of his crimes, the overwhelming grounds of his guilt, the years helium has spent deceiving those astir him to debar accountability, and the intolerable hazard that helium volition again edifice to unit to explicit his vexation with the satellite astir him."

The Justice Department said successful tribunal filings Sunday that Cole has confessed to constructing the bombs, filling them with explosive powerfulness and mounting their timers to detonate. Prosecutors argued that helium evaded instrumentality enforcement and avoided accountability "for actions that endangered lives and created a wide consciousness of fearfulness and terror."

The devices were planted connected the nighttime of Jan. 5, 2021, and were not discovered until the day of Jan. 6, 2021, arsenic instrumentality enforcement successful Washington, D.C., were overwhelmed erstwhile a mob of President Trump's supporters breached the U.S. Capitol successful an effort to halt Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 statesmanlike election.

The bombs did not detonate, but the FBI said they were viable. The perpetrator who planted the devices eluded national investigators for years, adjacent arsenic the FBI continued to merchandise caller video and accusation in hopes of a break successful the case. Then, earlier this month, authorities arrested Cole aft investigators looked astatine cellphone supplier records, purchasing past and conveyance movements. 

Cole told investigators during an interrogation aft his apprehension that helium had driven to Washington, D.C., connected Jan. 5 to be a protestation implicit the result of the 2020 predetermination and did not archer his household helium was going to a protestation successful enactment of Mr. Trump, prosecutors said. He said that aft the 2020 election, helium began pursuing the contented connected YouTube and Reddit "when it archetypal seemed similar thing was wrong" and "stuff started happening," according to Justice Department filings. He said that "if radical consciousness that their votes are similar conscionable being thrown away, past . . . astatine the precise slightest idiosyncratic should code it," prosecutors said.

Prosecutors wrote that erstwhile asked astir his motive, Cole said "something conscionable snapped" and helium wanted to people "the parties" due to the fact that "they were successful charge." He denied that his actions were directed toward Congress oregon related to certification of the 2020 predetermination results, which took spot connected Jan. 6, according to the Justice Department.

Cole's lawyers person argued successful court papers that helium should not beryllium kept successful custody portion awaiting a trial, arsenic helium has lived "without incident" for the past 4 years. They said that Cole has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Level 1, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Level 1 is the mildest signifier of Autism Spectrum Disorder, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition.

Cole's ineligible squad besides argued that helium has nary transgression past and said determination is "zero evidence" to suggest helium would fly up of a trial. He agreed to location detention with GPS monitoring, and would beryllium supervised by his grandmother, according to tribunal filings.

"There is nary signifier of alarming behaviour either anterior to oregon aft the alleged behaviour astatine contented successful this case. Mr. Cole does not airs a information to the community," they wrote.

Cole's lawyers person besides asked the magistrate justice overseeing Tuesday's proceeding to bid immoderate and each confessions oregon admissions Cole made to investigators to beryllium turned implicit to his ineligible team.

Cole, a Virginia resident, was arrested earlier this period aft the yearslong hunt for the perpetrator of the alleged plot. In tribunal documents, the FBI said Cole lives with his parent and different household members successful Woodbridge, Virginia, and works successful a bail bondsman's office. 

His lawyers said that Cole "can proceed being a productive subordinate of nine upon release" due to the fact that helium tin instrumentality to his job, "which volition supply contiguous operation and accountability."