J6 Pipe Bomber Suspect Arrested

Lone Wolf? FBI Botch? Or Convenient Patsy?

From the December 15th, 2025, print edition

For nearly five years, the FBI's inability to identify the suspect who planted pipe bombs outside the RNC and DNC headquarters on January 5th, 2021, fueled speculation. The FBI poured unlimited resources into J6 selfie-takers but "languished" on this critical case. The FBI's October 2025 video update begged for tips, offering $500K, yet "solved" it weeks later with no new witnesses or evidence.

As we reported, November 8th Blaze News published a detailed investigative report by Steve Baker and Joseph M. Hanneman that showed former US Capitol Police officer Shauni Rae Kerkhoff was a "forensic match" for the suspect. Using gait-recognition software on J6 Capitol CCTV and bomber surveillance footage, analysts reported a 94–98% match based on factors like knee flexion, hip extension, step length, cadence, and a subtle right-leg limp from a 2015 injury. Kerkoff now works for the CIA.

Former FBI special agent then assigned to the case, Kyle Seraphin, surveilled the home of potential suspect “POI3” for two days, a retired Air Force E-9 civilian whose vehicle allegedly picked up the bomber on Jan. 5, 2021, and who coincidentally just happens to be Ms. Kerkoff’s next door neighbor. "The FBI put us one door away from the pipe bomber within days of January 6, and we were deliberately pulled away for no logical or logically investigative reason... " said Seraphin.

Then on December 4th, with the statute of limitations to charge anyone about to runout, and without bothering to seek a grand jury indictment, authorities suddenly arrested a 30-year-old “autistic” man with the “mind of a 16-year-old” and a fondness for My Little Pony, who lived in his parents’ basement and had no political affiliation. Brian Jerome Cole Jr. from Woodbridge, Virginia, was charged with explosives offenses after allegedly confessing in a reported 4-hour interrogation without an attorney present. No interrogation recording has been released thus far.

Internet sleuths were quick to point out that the physical mismatch was obvious. Photos suggest Cole is an estimated inch shorter as well as leaner and less imposing, with a longer torso. Not exactly the "stocky" frame agents described. Eyewitness analyses and photogrammetry from the bench-sitting video clip reveal a shock of blonde hair peeking from under the hoodie. Another video showed the suspect appearing to adjust bra straps.

The FBI touts cell tower pings placing Cole's phone near the sites at 7:54–8:16 pm but independent breakdowns of the data show his signal outside the precise "route area" the FBI mapped for the bomber's movements. License plate readers caught his 2017 Nissan Sentra nearby, but D.C. traffic that night was chaos and Cole was also employed by the delivery service DoorDash at the time of the incident. No GPS lock, no video confirmation of him exiting the car with a backpack.

Prosecutors claim Cole bought common home repair items in 2019–2020, mostly prior to any reason for even holding the Capitol rally but provided no evidence he ever bought explosive material. No residue on his tools, no bomb-making workspace at his mom's Woodbridge home, no digital trail of recipes or plans.

And Cole only wore Crocs, not the distinctive gray Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers in the video. The FBI subpoenaed 1,200 receipts nationwide, but Cole's purchase history doesn't include them.

Did the FB! arrest an innocent man and let the real perpetrator walk?