Who is DC pipe bomb suspect Brian Cole?

The man who is accused of planting pipe bombs at the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee headquarters on Jan. 5, 2021, was arrested on Dec. 4, nearly five years after the alleged incident.

He was identified as Brian Cole.

Cole is facing explosive charges, The Associated Press reported.

Specifically, he is charged with transporting an explosive device in interstate commerce and attempted malicious destruction by means of fire and explosive materials, CNN reported.

Here is what we know about Cole and the investigation.

He is 30 years old and is from Woodbridge, Virginia, a community about 30 miles from the nation’s capital, the AP reported.

The FBI said in an affidavit that they tracked down Cole by using credit purchases of bomb-making materials, cell phone tower data and a license plate reader, the AP reported.

On Thursday, the AP reported that Cole’s motive for allegedly placing the bombs at the headquarters was not released, nor whether it was in connection with the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino said that the agency interviewed Cole for several hours and he made multiple statements, CNN reported. But he did not elaborate on what was said.

The FBI and Department of Justice did not issue a statement on the allegations when asked by CNN.

Check back for more on this developing story.