Exclusive: Patel says FBI probing whether arrested J6 bomb suspect had other targets or plots

FBI Director Kash Patel told Just the News on Thursday night that agents are working to determine whether the man arrested for placing bombs near the U.S. Capitol before the Jan. 6, 2021 riots was involved in earlier or later plots, had other targets he planned to attack or had accomplices.

"We have an entire Behavioral Analysis Unit at the FBI that gets to work on these types of things," Patel said during an interview on the Just the News, No Noise television show. "And what we want to ensure is is there a bigger network? Are there other targets? Were there other targets? Are there other unsolved crimes?

"Now that we have the suspect in custody, those folks can go to work on that, that stuff just takes time to develop out. The first thing we want to do is take the guy off the street and make sure he doesn't do this again. And more important. They also hold people him accountable to the innocent Americans he was threatening."

Patel laid out how the FBI under his leadership and that of Deputy Director Dan Bongino replaced the original investigative team on the nearly five year-old case and then followed a trail of cell phone location records, credit card receipts and license plate photos to arrest Bryan Cole, 30, of Woodbridge, Va.

The director confirmed there was no new evidence or tipsters who led to the arrest, just fresh eyes and new leadership, and he blasted the bureau leaders under prior Director Chris Wray for failing to solve the case for years.

"They had it for four years on the pipe bomb. They chose not to apply the resources and investigative techniques they could have. We changed that ethos, and in eight months, we're sitting here today," he said.

Asked to explain why the prior regime at the FBI did solve the case, Patel said: "It's either sheer incompetence or negligence by the prior administration, and either way, it's unacceptable for this FBI."