State charges dropped, federal charges added against man accused of church threats

HAYMARKET, Va. (DC News Now) — The Falls Church man accused of making threats against a Prince William County church now faces federal charges in connection with the case.

County prosecutors dismissed the charges against 35-year-old Rui Jiang.

Federal court documents say Jiang showed up at Park Valley Church, armed with a gun and ammunition, during the morning of Sept. 24, 2023. Prince William County Police arrested Jiang at the church, with no shots fired or anyone injured.

Police arrest man who made online threats about Prince William County church

“When it initially happened, it was definitely on the forefront of our minds,” said Pastor Barry White. “And I think people were nervous.”

The documents show a former acquaintance of Jiang’s tipped off Anne Arundel County police the same morning. That person saw some disturbing posts Jiang made on Instagram, including a couple of pictures of Park Valley Church, and the words, “blood will be on your hands.”

“I had never met him,” White said, and added Jiang had attended church services for several months.

Court documents say Jiang told police he was mad at God, but denied that he planned to kill anyone.

“We are continuing to provide security for everyone that walks through the doors of this church,” White said. “Doesn’t matter when done, no matter what the ministry, we make sure that we have police presence. We make sure that our security team is robust.”

While things are pretty much back to normal, there’s also concern for Jiang.

“You know, we want him to get the help that he needs,” White said. “And we’ve always felt that way about him. Always.”

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