Federal prosecutors take over case against man charged with threatening Virginia church

Published February 27, 2024 3:28 PM

By MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press

MANASSAS, Va. (AP) — Federal prosecutors have taken over the case against a northern Virginia man arrested last year on suspicion he was about to embark on a mass shooting at a megachurch. Local prosecutors in Prince William County on Tuesday dropped charges against 35-year-old Rui Jiang of Falls Church, including a charge of attempted aggravated murder against multiple persons. That clears the way for his prosecution at federal court in Alexandria. Jiang was arrested Sept. 24 at the Park Valley Church in Haymarket, where a police officer found that Jiang had entered the church during Sunday services armed with a handgun and a knife. Police were acting on a tip they had received just hours earlier.

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