Five years after the Capitol riot, some of the police officers who fought off the rioters that day say they're still struggling with what happened

The details surrounding Brian Cole Jr.'s confession of allegedly planting pipe bombs in Washington, D.C. on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot were released on Sunday as part of pre-trial court filings.

The suspect, Brian Cole, has not yet entered a plea to the charges stemming from two bombs found near Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters nearly five years ago.

Former special counsel Jack Smith told lawmakers that the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol “does not happen” without President Donald Trump.

On the fifth anniversary of the attack, which falls next Tuesday, Democrats plan to hold an informal hearing to review President Trump’s clemency for the rioters and G.O.P. attempts to sanitize the event.

According to a document requesting denial of pretrial release for Brian Cole Jr., while he was maintaining that he hadn’t planted the devices, he told them he’d gone to D.C. to protest what many Trump supporters believed was the wrongful election of Biden.

House Democrats formed a panel in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot to investigate and attempt to prosecute people connected to the event.

Brian Cole Jr., 30, was arrested earlier this month and charged with transporting and planting two pipe bombs.

The Virginia man charged with placing two pipe bombs in Washington, D.C., the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot has confessed. Brian J. Cole Jr. told authorities he felt obligated to "speak up".

Dec. 30, 2025 – 15:08 – House Democrats will reconvene their Jan. 6 riot investigation select committee on the fifth anniversary of the incident.