A Virginia man accused in a federal case involving two pipe bombs pleaded not guilty at a brief hearing in Washington, D.C., according to the Associated Press.
Brian J. Cole Jr., of Woodbridge, Virginia, entered the plea on Friday. The case accuses him of planting two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Cole faces two counts of transporting and attempting to use explosives. Prosecutors said he confessed to placing pipe bombs outside the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters only hours before a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol.
In court documents, prosecutors wrote that Cole said he hoped the explosives would detonate and “hoped there would be news about it.” The AP report said the confession was presented as part of the government’s case.
After his arrest last month, Cole told investigators that he believed someone needed to “speak up” for people who believed the 2020 election, which Democrat Joe Biden won, was stolen, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors also said Cole told investigators he wanted to target the country’s political parties because they were “in charge,” according to the AP report.
If convicted on both counts, Cole faces up to 10 years of imprisonment on one charge and up to 20 years on a second charge, the AP said. The second charge also carries a five-year mandatory minimum prison sentence.