An armed man who posted threatening messages on social media and was suspected of planning a mass shooting at a Virginia church during service was convicted of a hate crime on Thursday, officials said.
The man, Rui Jiang, 36, was found guilty of three charges, including attempting to obstruct congregants’ free exercise of religious beliefs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said.
He was also found guilty of a firearms violation and transmitting online threats, prosecutors said.
Mr. Jiang faces life in prison, with a mandatory minimum of five years, when he is sentenced on June 18.
Lawyers for Mr. Jiang declined to comment on Friday. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia also declined to comment.
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 at the Park Valley church, said at the time that there were about 1,000 people in the church. Mr. Jiang was found inside the entrance to the church with a loaded handgun during a Sunday service, according to prosecutors.
Members of the church’s security team, who were independently concerned about Mr. Jiang’s behavior, had just asked him to leave when an officer with the Prince William County Police Department arrived, according to court records.
The authorities recovered a box of ammunition, a pocketknife, shooting targets, pepper spray and a cellphone from Mr. Jiang’s car, which was in the church’s parking lot, according to court records.
The night before his arrest, Mr. Jiang posted threats against the church, prosecutors said. Mr. Jiang shared the threatening messages on Instagram, including a photograph of a burning Bible and a picture from the inside of a vehicle parked in what appeared to be the church’s parking lot at night, according to court records.
A message with a picture said, “Welcome to Park Valley church” and “Blood will be on your hands,” according to court records.
During a search of Mr. Jiang’s apartment after his arrest, the police discovered five copies of a letter, each signed by Mr. Jiang.
According to court records, Mr. Jiang claimed in the letters to have worked as a “political assassin for the government” for 11 years.
Mr. Jiang wrote that his life had “gotten worse” since “returning to normal life,” and that “despite my faith even in my worst of days — nothing has changed,” according to court records.
“My mental health continues to deteriorate,” he wrote. “I am not allowed to be in love. To experience love. To experience a romantic relationship.”
According to court records, toward the end of the letters, which were all identical, Mr. Jiang wrote, “To the families of those men about to be slain — I am sorry for what I have done and about to do.”
In a statement, Park Valley Church said it was “pleased that Mr. Jiang was held accountable for his actions” and that it was thankful he was not harmed. “We look forward to having this behind us,” the church said.