A Virginia man charged with placing pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic National Committees on the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol told investigators he was not attempting to disrupt Congress’s certification of the 2020 presidential election, according to a newly filed court document.

Prosecutors said Brian Cole made the statements during a multi-hour interview with authorities following his arrest on Dec. 4. After initially denying any involvement, Cole later admitted to placing the explosive devices, the filing said.

According to prosecutors, Cole told investigators he did not consider himself strongly political but became increasingly disillusioned after the 2020 election. He said he began consuming political content on YouTube and Reddit and felt that concerns from people who believed their votes were being ignored were not being taken seriously.

When asked why he placed pipe bombs outside the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee, Cole allegedly said, “I really don’t like either party at this point.” Prosecutors said he also cited an interest in history — specifically the conflict known as the Troubles in Northern Ireland — as inspiration for using pipe bombs. He denied that the devices were meant to target Congress or were connected to the proceedings scheduled for Jan. 6.

Investigators said Cole told them he intended for the devices to detonate and set 60-minute timers on both bombs after placing them outside the committee offices. After leaving the devices, he said he returned to his car and went to get food. The bombs ultimately failed to explode.

According to the filing, Cole said he had not fully considered how people would react if the bombs detonated, though he hoped the incident would receive media attention. He told investigators he had not tested the devices beforehand and said he felt “pretty relieved” when he learned they did not explode. Cole also claimed he placed the bombs late at night because he did not want to kill anyone.

After seeing surveillance images of himself released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cole allegedly discarded his bombmaking materials at a nearby dump and did not tell anyone about his actions for nearly five years. Prosecutors also said forensic analysis showed he wiped data from his personal cellphone nearly 1,000 times during that period.

Cole faces multiple federal charges related to the explosive devices. The case remains pending.