AURN News with Ebony McMorris

Nearly Five Years Later, Arrest Made in Jan. 6 Pipe Bomb Case

Ebony McMorris
December 4, 2025

This image U.S. Capitol Police security video, annotated by the source, was contained in the statement of facts presented by the Justice Department in support of the criminal complaint, shows Jennifer Leigh Ryan inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. In a letter to the court Ryan wrote, "While I feel badly about unlawfully entering into the Capitol on January 6th, not everything I did that day was bad. Some actions I took that day were good. I came to DC to protest the election results. I wanted my voice to be heard. My only weapon was my voice and my cell phone. It is my belief that America is presently in an 'Information War.' This so-called 'war' that I spoke of, using my first amendment rights, is a war that is not fought with weapons, but with words, ideas, constructs and opinions." Ryan received 60 days in jail after posting online that "I have blonde hair white skin a great job a great future and I'm not going to jail." (Justice Department via AP)

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(AURN News) — Federal authorities have arrested 30-year-old Brian Cole of Woodbridge, Virginia, identifying him as the prime suspect in the planting of two pipe bombs outside the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters on Jan. 5, 2021 — the eve of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
The explosives were discovered on the morning of Jan. 6, just hours before the deadly breach at the U.S. Capitol. Though neither device detonated, officials say they posed a serious threat to public safety and diverted law enforcement resources at a critical moment.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Cole has been charged with use of an explosive device, with additional charges possible as the investigation continues.
The bombs were placed near key access points close to both party offices as Congress prepared to certify the 2020 presidential election results. The FBI had previously offered a $500,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.

Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.

White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris is a native Washingtonian and University of South Carolina alumna. Her passion is mentoring young adults by teaching community empowerment and media education. She is an NAB member and board member of the Thurgood Marshall Center and was presented the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for contributing more than 4,000 hours of community service under the Obama Administration.