Brian Cole Jr., a 30-year-old man from Woodbridge, Virginia, has been named by top news networks, from CNN to NBC News, as the suspect in the highly publicized Washington D.C. pipe bomb case.
NBC News reached out to Cole's family members seeking comment, and a family member made the first brief comment after the arrest, indicating that he had spoken with the FBI.
The suspect’s step-grandfather, Earl Donnette, "said in a brief phone call to NBC News that he spoke with the FBI about his step-grandson," the network reported. However, Donnette declined to make additional comment, NBC News reported, and Brian Cole Sr., Cole's dad, declined to make any comment at all, NBC News reported.
What is known about Brian Cole Jr.?
Brian Cole Jr. Is From Woodbridge, Virginia, Where He Graduated From High School in 2013, Reports Say
FBI
According to CBS News, which also named Cole, the pipe bomber suspect is from Woodbridge, Virginia, which is located about 23 miles from Washington D.C.
Cole graduated from a school district in Prince William County, Virginia, in 2013 and is 30 years old, CBS News reported. Cole has not been formally identified by the FBI. The news outlets are citing multiple law enforcement sources as identifying him as the alleged D.C. pipe bomb suspect, who is under arrest.
The media and law enforcement swarmed Cole's neighborhood after news broke about his identity. Law enforcement "lined both sides of the cul-de-sac where Cole is known to live and examined the home," CNN reported. "Two people in white hazmat suits were seen bending over, examining something in the street."
The FBI publicized a series of photos and surveillance videos that captured the suspect's image. However, for four years, the suspect evaded identification.
"On January 5, 2021, an unidentified individual placed pipe bombs near the DNC and RNC offices in Washington, D.C., between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. EST. The FBI and its partners are renewing their call for tips from the public, with a reward available of up to $500,000. This video contains previously unreleased footage of the suspect placing one of the bombs at the DNC," the FBI wrote on its website.
Not much is known yet about Brian Cole Jr. because his name was just publicized, and the story is fast developing.
The FBI Previously Released the Height of the Suspect & Details of His Shoes & Clothing
Getty and FBI
The FBI had previously been able to glean clues about the pipe bomber's identity through surveillance video. The pipe bombs did not detonate, so no one was injured, but the FBI has expressed concern that people were placed in danger by the suspect's actions.
"One previously unreleased detail is the FBI's estimate of the suspect's height to be approximately five foot seven inches tall," the FBI wrote on its website. "The suspect wore a face mask, a gray hooded sweatshirt, and black gloves. They used a backpack to transport each of the devices. They were wearing distinctive Nike Air Max speed turf shoes, which are black and gray with a yellow Nike logo. Fewer than 25,000 of these shoes were sold between August 2018 and January 2021."
"These pipe bombs were viable devices that could have been detonated, resulting in serious injury or death," said Steven D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. "One device was placed in an alley behind the RNC, located at 310 First Street, Southeast. The other was placed next to a park bench near the DNC, located at 430 South Capitol Street, Southeast, #3."
from Men's Journal https://ift.tt/zxDMCBO
via IFTTT