Judge sets February trial for man charged with planting pipe bombs on the eve of the Capitol riot

Source: AP

Updated 3:28 PM EDT, July 8, 2026


WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal trial is scheduled to start in February for a Virginia man charged with planting pipe bombs near the national headquarters of the Democratic and Republican parties on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot by a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters.

The trial for Brian J. Cole Jr. is set to begin Feb. 16 and last about two weeks. U.S. District Judge Amir Ali set the trial date during a brief hearing Wednesday.

Zachary Lawson, one of Cole’s lawyers, told Ali that defense attorneys and prosecutors have not discussed the possibility of a plea deal to resolve the case.

On Monday, the judge ruled that Trump’s mass pardons for Capitol rioters did not apply to Cole. Ali refused to dismiss Cole’s case before trial, rejecting defense lawyers’ arguments that their client qualifies for a pardon because his alleged actions are “inextricably and demonstrably tethered” to the events near the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/pipe-bomb-capitol-riot-trump-pardon-cole-cd2dd1e37c5a091f40f3a1e99e89da49