Police say they thwarted a planned shooting at a Virginia church by man with grievances against the government

But someone in Maryland had spotted troubling Instagram posts by the man in sunglasses, leading police in three counties to rapidly mobilize and track down and arrest the suspected would-be shooter as he stood in the vestibule during the Park Valley service with a loaded pistol, extra ammunition and two folding knives.

When officers spoke to Rui Jiang, 35, he allegedly admitted he had written the threatening posts on Instagram, which included a photo of him holding a firearm target with bullet holes and captions. And according to court records, he had written: “Blood will be on your hands. The world will know my story. And what you did to me. And why I’m about to do what I do.”

[After a search of his apartment] they found “a very detailed one-page manifesto,” Fairfax Police Chief Kevin Davis said. It “systematically and logically identifies his grievance with the government, identifies his intent to harm and kill, and identifies his own desire to end his life. It was eerie.”

Davis said there were references related to “why he selected that church, but he also articulated that he didn’t know anyone at that church. … He knew he was going to take many lives yesterday, and he also said that [he didn’t] know any of them.” Davis said there was no indication that Jiang was connected to any groups or terrorist organizations.