Alleged DC pipe bomber to appear at detention hearing as his attorneys argue he should be released from jail [View all]
Source: CNN Politics
PUBLISHED Dec 30, 2025, 9:54 AM ET
Ahead of a detention hearing Tuesday for the man accused of placing two pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic National Committee buildings in 2021, defense attorneys argue their client should be released from jail while awaiting trial, in part because the bombs never detonated.
Attorneys for the 30-year-old Virginia man, Brian Cole Jr., said he has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder – listing those as the first two factors in arguing for pre-trial release.
“The question is whether there is a present danger—a contention the government never actually makes, and something belied by the past four years in which Mr. Cole has lived without incident,” Cole’s attorneys argued in their filing, adding, “No device detonated, no person was injured, and no property was damaged.”
But it could be difficult to convince a federal judge to release Cole amid the evidence prosecutors have already presented in court filings, more of which could be revealed during Tuesday’s hearing. In an earlier filing arguing for Cole’s detention, prosecutors laid out a detailed list of the bomb-making materials they said he purchased in 2018 through 2020 and used to make the pipe bombs left outside the Washington, DC-based RNC and DNC in January 2021.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/30/politics/dc-pipe-bomb-suspect-detention-hearing
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