Pipe Bomb Suspect’s Attorneys Say He Has OCD, Autism, in Their Request Not to Detain

The Justice Department said on Dec. 28 that Brian Cole Jr. confessed to authorities.

This courtroom sketch depicts Brian Cole Jr., 30, of Woodbridge, Va., the man accused of planting a pair of pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties in Washington on Jan. 5, 2021, being sworn in before U.S. Magistrate Moxila Upadhyaya, at the U.S. District Court in Washington, with U.S. Attorney Charles Jones, seated left, and defense attorney John Shoreman seated center, on Dec. 5, 2025. Dana Verkouteren via AP

The attorneys for Brian Cole Jr., who allegedly planted pipe bombs before the events of Jan. 6, 2021, are asking a court to allow their client to avoid detention before his expected trial.

In a filing on Dec. 30, they said that various factors weighed in favor of releasing Cole. Among them were his lack of criminal history, as well as his diagnosis with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and autism spectrum disorder, Level 1.