US Teen Arrested Over Alleged Plot To Attack Hindu Temple In Illinois

A 19-year-old man has been arrested in Illinois, United States, over an alleged mass shooting plot that investigators believe may have targeted a Hindu place of worship in the Aurora area near Chicago. Alexandros Paporakis, a resident of Palatine, was taken into custody on October 11 after investigators recovered a document expressing white supremacist and extremist ideologies and referring to violence against people of Indian descent.

Paporakis appeared before the Cook County Third Municipal District Courthouse in Rolling Meadows on Wednesday, where a judge ordered him detained. His next hearing is scheduled for October 30.

The arrest comes during the Hindu festive season of Navaratri and about two weeks after the Shree Swaminarayan Vadtal Dham Hindu Mandir in Richmond Heights, Ohio, was vandalised.

The Investigation

Police launched the investigation after a person reported that Paporakis was allegedly planning a mass shooting. Investigators said he had shared a document outlining the alleged plan, along with images of a rifle, rifle magazines, body armour and other tactical equipment.

“Based on information developed during the investigation, detectives believe Paporakis may have been planning to carry out an attack on Sunday, October 11, potentially targeting a Hindu place of worship in the Aurora area,” police said.

According to investigators, Paporakis had allegedly told his co-workers at Taco Bell, where he worked as a cashier, that Sunday was going to be “a special day”. Police also said he called a co-worker earlier that day, claiming his gun had jammed and that he had left “super fast” without being seen.

Detectives examined electronic communications and a document attributed to Paporakis titled Why I Fought: A.K.A.: (Aurora shooter's manifesto). Police said it contained statements expressing white supremacist and extremist ideologies, including references to violence against people of South Asian heritage, particularly those of Indian descent.

Officers from the Palatine and Mount Prospect police departments coordinated a response and arrested Paporakis as he was leaving his residence on the evening of October 11.

A subsequent search of his home led to the recovery of a rifle, multiple loaded rifle magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, tactical equipment and other items investigators believe are relevant to the case. Police also found a tactical vest containing body armour and a patch displaying imagery associated with white supremacist extremism.

“The seriousness of this alleged threat cannot be overstated,” Palatine Police Chief William Nord said, adding that protecting places of worship remained a law enforcement priority.

Charges And Community Response

Paporakis has been charged with one count each of making a terrorist threat and unlawful possession of weapons. The weapons charge concerns a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches.

The Aurora Police Department was notified of the potential threat by the Palatine and Mount Prospect police departments. Authorities said the departments coordinated outreach to Hindu places of worship in their jurisdictions to alert them to the alleged plot.

The Palatine Police Department said it was working closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as the investigation continued, including a review of whether additional charges were warranted. Authorities have not identified any known ongoing threat to the public connected with the incident.

The Hindu American Foundation welcomed the police response in a post on X, saying, “We commend law enforcement for swift action.”

“We also urge the community to stay vigilant and report any potential threat. Every community deserves to worship without fear,” the organisation added.

In a separate post, the foundation alleged that Paporakis had reached the Hindu temple while heavily armed and attempted to open fire, but that his gun jammed. It also said he had described himself as a “sociopathic white supremacist Neo-Nazi filled with hatred, fantasizing about mass murder nearly every day”.

The claims about the alleged attempted shooting and the suspect's statements have not been independently established in the information provided by authorities. The investigation remains ongoing.