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Falls Church resident Rui Jiang, 35, is facing charges after a joint investigation into alleged threats at the Park Valley Church in Haymarket on Sunday, Sept. 24.
Investigators say that the Fairfax County Police Department alerted authorities in Prince William County about a tipster in Anne Arundel County about a man in Laurel who posted "suspicious and concerning" posts that were made on Instagram made by Jiang.
The threats included "vague threats of violence" that included images of the Park Valley Church, prompting alarm bells to sound and a call to police, which led them to Jiang's residence in Falls Church, though he was not home when they went to investigate.
His vehicle was then tracked to the church in Prince William County.
According to officials, an off-duty Prince William County Police officer working an assignment at the church located the vehicle as staff at the church were monitoring a suspicious person - later identified as Jiang - who was ultimately detained near the entrance of the building without incident.
He had reportedly entered through a separate door, but was located and stopped before any incident.
When he was arrested, police say that Jiang was in possession of a loaded handgun, an additional magazine, folding knife, and a "folding credit card" style knife.
Officials made note that Jiang had a concealed weapon permit and the weapon was not reported stolen.
Jiang was charged with threats of bodily harm and carrying a dangerous weapon in a place of religious worship. He is being held without bond and his next court date is pending.
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