(NewsNation) — An arrest has been made in the investigation into who placed pipe bombs at the U.S. Capitol the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, riots, federal authorities announced Thursday.
Alleged pipe bomber Brian Cole Jr. was charged Thursday with two counts of possessing an explosive device, one count of transportation of interstate commerce with intent to kill and malicious instruction.
The arrest by the Washington, D.C., field office has been planned for “quite some time,” a Department of Justice official who asked to remain anonymous due to potential career repercussions told NewsNation.
The FBI was “keeping it quiet due to the suspect, based in northern Virginia, supposedly in possession of weapons and explosives, and they did not want to put anyone in danger,” the official said.
Law enforcement officials used credit purchases of bomb-making materials, cellphone tower data and a license plate reader to zero in on Cole, according to an FBI affidavit filed in the case. The FBI and Justice Department declined to elaborate on what led them to the suspect, but characterized his arrest as the result of a reinvigorated investigation and a fresh analysis of already collected evidence and data.
“Let me be clear: There was no new tip. There was no new witness. Just good, diligent police work and prosecutorial work,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said at a news conference.
He is expected to be in court as early as Thursday, a source told NewsNation.
An arrest has been made in the investigation into who placed pipe bombs at the U.S. Capitol the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, riots, federal authorities announced Thursday. Alleged pipe bomber Brian Cole Jr. was charged Thursday with two counts of possessing an explosive device, one count of transportation of interstate commerce with intent to kill and malicious instruction. (Department of Justice) 
FBI via AP, File 
This image shows part of a “Seeking Information” notice released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding pipe bombs planted outside offices of the Democratic and Republican national committees in Washington on Jan. 5, 2021, on the eve of the attack on the Capitol. (FBI via AP)
An FBI affidavit filed in connection with Cole’s arrest lays out a series of circumstantial clues that investigators pieced together.
Using information from his bank account and credit cards, authorities discovered he purchased materials in 2019 and 2020 consistent with those used to make the pipe bombs, according to court papers. That included galvanized pipes and white kitchen-style timers, according to the affidavit. The purchases continued even after the devices were placed.
Cole owns a 2017 Nissan Sentra with a Virginia license plate, the affidavit says. Around 7:10 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2021, Cole’s vehicle drove past a license plate reader less than a half mile from where the person who placed the devices was first spotted on foot around 7:34 p.m. that night, the document says.
The pipe bombs were placed on Jan. 5, 2021, near the offices of the Democratic and Republican national committees in Washington, D.C. Nobody was injured, but the FBI said both devices had the potential to be lethal.
This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.