Report: Pipe Bomb Suspect Believed Election Was Stolen

Brian Cole, the Virginia man accused of planting pipe bombs in Washington, DC, the night before the Capitol riot, has told investigators he believed the 2020 election was stolen, sources tell NBC News and CNN. According to CNN's sources, the 30-year-old spoke to FBI investigators for hours on Thursday. NBC's sources say he has been cooperating with investigators. The bombs were found near Democratic and Republican party headquarters hours before President Trump's supporters stormed the nearby Capitol.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday that the arrest was made after investigators reviewed evidence collected during the Biden administration. The AP reports that Cole lived with his mother and other relatives in a home around 30 miles from the Capitol. Cole, who worked in his father's bail bondsman office, has no criminal record and was not registered to vote. According to an FBI affidavit, he started buying materials for the bombs as early as 2019.

Cole, who faces federal charge of transporting an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials, is due for his first court appearance Friday. The FBI has not publicly discussed a motive, NBC reports.