The man accused of planting pipe bombs in Washington, D.C., before the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach asked a judge to grant a conditional release from jail, with his lawyer citing his autism diagnosis.
Federal prosecutors said Brian Cole Jr., 30, of Virginia, planted explosive devices at the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters on the night before protesters stormed the Capitol.
Cole, who has been in custody since his Dec. 4 arrest, faces charges including transporting an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials. He has not entered a plea.
In a federal court filing Tuesday, Cole's lawyers said he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, describing it as a mild form of autism.
The filing included several character reference letters from people who said they have known Cole for years.
"While I understand the seriousness of the charges against Brian Cole Jr., these charges seem totally out of character from the Brian Cole Jr. that I have observed over many years," wrote one person who claims to have known Cole for 22 years.
Cole's lawyers argued that the government has not presented evidence suggesting he resisted law enforcement or attempted to evade authorities. They said Cole does not pose a threat and is willing to comply with court-ordered restrictions.
They also noted that Cole has kept the same job for several years with his family's bail bonds business and has not moved or attempted to flee.
"The government argues that Mr. Cole spent nearly five years trying to evade detection," the filing said. "Not true: Mr. Cole lived with his parents the entire time, never moved, and followed his same routine daily."
But in a motion filed Sunday, federal prosecutors accused Cole of wearing a face mask and gloves when he planted the devices and wiped the bombs with disinfectant. The government also alleged Cole performed a factory reset on his phone more than 900 times between December 2020 and the day of his arrest.
Federal prosecutors urged the judge to keep Cole detained, alleging he believed "extreme acts of violence" were justified because of his dislike of both major political parties. According to the motion, Cole told FBI agents that "something just snapped" after he watched "everything getting worse."
He reportedly blamed the Democratic and Republican parties because "they were in charge," Cole told agents, according to the court filing.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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