An armed guy who posted threatening messages on social media and was once suspected of making plans a mass capturing at a Virginia church throughout provider was once convicted of a hate crime on Thursday, officers mentioned.
The person, Rui Jiang, 36, was once discovered accountable of 3 fees, together with making an attempt to hinder congregants’ loose workout of non secular ideals, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said.
He was once additionally discovered accountable of a firearms violation and transmitting on-line threats, prosecutors mentioned.
Mr. Jiang faces existence in jail, with a compulsory minimal of 5 years, when he’s sentenced on June 18.
Attorneys for Mr. Jiang declined to touch upon Friday. The U.S. Legal professional’s Administrative center for the Jap District of Virginia additionally declined to remark.
Mr. Jiang was arrested at the Park Valley Church in Haymarket, Va., on Sept. 24, 2023, after a tip about troubling social media posts led the police to him.
Barry White, a senior pastor on the Park Valley church mentioned on the time that there have been about 1,000 other people within the church. Mr. Jiang was once discovered within the front to the church with a loaded handgun throughout a Sunday provider, consistent with prosecutors.
Individuals of the church’s safety group, who had been independently considering Mr. Jiang’s habits, had simply requested him to depart when an officer with the Prince William County Police Division arrived, consistent with courtroom data.
The government recovered a field of ammunition, a pocketknife, capturing objectives, pepper spray and a cellular phone from Mr. Jiang’s automotive, which was once within the church’s automobile parking space, consistent with courtroom data.
The night time earlier than his arrest, Mr. Jiang posted threats in opposition to the church, prosecutors mentioned. Mr. Jiang shared the threatening messages on Instagram, together with {a photograph} of a burning Bible and an image from the interior of a automobile parked in what looked to be the church’s automobile parking space at night time, consistent with courtroom data.
A message with an image mentioned, “Welcome to Park Valley church” and “Blood will probably be for your arms,” consistent with courtroom data.
Right through a seek of Mr. Jiang’s condo after his arrest, the police found out 5 copies of a letter, every signed via Mr. Jiang.
In keeping with courtroom data, Mr. Jiang claimed within the letters to have labored as “political murderer for the federal government” for 11 years.
Mr. Jiang wrote that his existence had “gotten worse” since “returning to commonplace existence,” and that “regardless of my religion even in my worst of days — not anything has modified,” consistent with courtroom data.
“My psychological well being continues to become worse,” he wrote. “I’m really not allowed to be in love. To enjoy love. To enjoy a romantic courting.”
In keeping with courtroom data, towards the tip of the letters, that have been all equivalent, Mr. Jiang wrote, “To the households of the ones males about to be slain — I’m sorry for what I’ve executed and about to do.”
In a remark, Park Valley Church mentioned it was once “happy that Mr. Jiang was once held in charge of his movements” and that it was once grateful he was once now not harmed. “We look ahead to having this in the back of us,” the church mentioned.
