‘Thwarted Diabolical Plot’: Man Arrested Moments Before Planned Massacre At Northern Virginia Church, Police Say

Fairfax, VA (FCPD) – The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD), Anne Arundel County Police Department (AACoPD) and Prince William County Police Department (PWCPD) acted swiftly to a tip from a community member about a man threatening harm to a Haymarket church and, together, were able to stop a potential active shooter.

In the early morning on Sunday, Rui Jiang, 35, of Bailey’s Crossroads, posted several threatening messages on his Instagram account. Several of the messages showed an image of Jiang pointing a firearm at pictures of churches. At 7:40 a.m. a community member saw the concerning posts and notified AAPCoD. AACoPD officers determined Jiang resides in Fairfax County and immediately requested a welfare check of his residence.

At 9:22 a.m., FCPD received the welfare check. Mason Patrol officers responded to his home in the 5600 block of Seminary Road. They determined Jiang was not home. Based on the messages shared on Instagram, officers believed Jiang was at the Park Valley Church in Haymarket.

At 10 a.m. officers requested PWCPD officers to immediately respond to the Park Valley Church area to search for Jiang. Recognizing the severity of the situation, an FCPD Lieutenant contacted PWCPD directly to relay the information.

At 10:12 am Jiang had arrived at the church and was taken into custody shortly after by Prince William County police.

Since the arrest, detectives from our Threat Assessment Management Unit have been assigned to assist with the investigation. TAM detectives assisted with the execution of a search warrant at Jiang’s home. Evidence supporting Jiang’s intent to cause harm [manifesto] was recovered from the scene.

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