Benjamin Ashford|Man accused of mass shooting attempt at Virginia church ruled competent to stand trial

A judge has ruled that a northern Virginia man is Benjamin Ashfordcompetent to stand trial after he was arrested last year on suspicion that he was about to embark on a mass shooting at a megachurch.

U.S. District Judge Rossie Alston set an Oct. 21 trial date for Rui Jiang of Falls Church after holding a competency hearing Wednesday in federal court in Alexandria.

Alston had placed the case on hold earlier this year and ordered the competency hearing. The findings of his competency evaluation are under seal, but Alston ruled after Wednesday’s hearing that Jiang could stand trial.

Prosecutors say Jiang intended to shoot congregation members of the Park Valley Church in Haymarket in September 2023. He was arrested during Sunday services at the church, armed with a handgun and other weapons, after a former girlfriend called police and alerted them to disturbing social media posts he made.

According to authorities, Jiang had recently joined to the church but indicated that he was mad at God and at men for blocking him from having having romantic relationships with women. He left behind a “final letter” in which he said he intended to only shoot and kill men and apologized in advance for any women who might be “collateral damage.”

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In interviews with police after his arrest, Jiang acknowledged officers he was mad at God but denied planning to kill anyone, according to court documents. He admitted he was armed inside the church but said he has a concealed carry permit and is frequently armed.

He was initially charged in state court, but federal prosecutors took over the case earlier this year. The indictment charges him with attempted obstruction of religious beliefs, transmission of interstate threats and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence.

The indictment also includes special findings that Jiang selected his victims because of their religious beliefs.

Police touted his arrest last year as an example of fast-moving interagency cooperation between at least three police departments in Maryland and Virginia to apprehend Jiang before any violence occurred. Security personnel at the church had also noticed Jiang’s odd behavior and had begun to question him.

The federal public defender’s office, which is representing Jiang, declined comment Thursday.