HAYMARKET, VA – A 35-year-old Virginia man, Rui Jiang, was arrested on Sunday after he entered a church armed with multiple weapons during services. The arrest followed reports of his suspicious online activity, including veiled threats of violence and images of the church he later visited.
Jiang was apprehended at Park Valley Church in Haymarket, Virginia, around 10:15 a.m. after police found him in possession of a loaded handgun, an extra magazine, a folding knife, and a folding “credit card” style knife. The police were alerted to Jiang’s presence at the church by a report from Laurel, Maryland, regarding his alarming online posts.
The investigation that led to Jiang’s arrest involved three police departments across Maryland and Virginia. Despite the potential threat, no one was harmed during the incident. The motive behind Jiang’s actions remains unclear.
Jiang faces charges of threats of bodily harm, a felony, and carrying a dangerous weapon to a place of religious worship, a misdemeanor. He is currently being held without bond.
The investigation into Jiang began when a concerned citizen in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, reported suspicious social media posts allegedly made by him. These posts suggested that he might have been planning an attack on a church, later identified as Park Valley Church.
Fairfax County police in Virginia were notified after investigators identified his suspected residence within the county. Although Jiang was not home when officers arrived, information about a car he might be driving led Prince William County police to the church.
An off-duty Prince William County officer, working a detail assignment at the church, located Jiang’s car in the parking lot. The officer, in coordination with church staff who were already monitoring a suspicious person, detained Jiang near the church’s entrance without incident.
Jiang had entered the church through a separate door while services were in progress and had been inside the building before he was apprehended. He had a concealed weapon permit, and the firearm in his possession was not reported stolen.
Investigators obtained a search warrant and an emergency substantial risk order, also known as a “red-flag” law, which allows authorities to seize a gun after convincing a judge that a person would be a danger to themselves or others. A search of Jiang’s home in Falls Church, Virginia, resulted in the seizure of related documents and electronic items, but no additional firearms were found.
Prince William County police credited the concerned citizen who reported Jiang’s suspicious online posts, the joint efforts of multiple police agencies, and the vigilance of the Park Valley Church staff for preventing a potentially dangerous situation.
