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Alexandros Paporakis Charged After Rifle Jam Foiled Aurora Hindu Temple Mass Shooting Plot
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Alexandros Paporakis, 19, Palatine, charged with terrorism offenses and unlawful weapons possession. Plot targeted Balaji Temple in Aurora, Illinois, a Hindu place of worship.
Plot foiled in Aurora
Palatine police arrested 19-year-old Alexandros Paporakis, a Taco Bell cashier from Palatine, after authorities said he planned a mass shooting targeting a Hindu place of worship in the Aurora area. Palatine Police Chief William Nord said investigators identified a red Honda RDX registered to Paporakis entering the car park of a "known Hindu temple" in Aurora at 12:25 p.m. and exiting about 13 minutes later. Police said Paporakis allegedly tried to open fire, but his gun jammed, and he drove home to Palatine, where investigators served a search warrant and recovered a rifle, loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of rifle ammunition, tactical equipment, and an eight-page document.
“‘He entered the parking lot at approximately 12:25 p.m. and exited the parking lot at 12:38 p.m.”
The FBI Chicago Field Office said the case involved a tip that helped disrupt the plot, and the FBI said the subject was taken into custody without harm to the community. Palatine police said Paporakis was charged with making a terrorist threat and unlawful possession of a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches, and a judge ordered him detained.
Manifests and hate claims
Prosecutors said Paporakis sent an eight-page document titled "Why I fought: A.K.A.: (Aurora Shooter's Manifesto)" and described himself as a white supremacist and neo-Nazi. CNN reported that prosecutors said Paporakis told co-workers he couldn’t wait to kill Indian people, and the case materials described Indian, Jewish and African American people as "subhumans". BBC reported that Palatine police chief William Nord said investigators were notified by someone who received "concerning electronic communications" from Paporakis.
NBC 5 Chicago quoted FBI Chicago Field Office acting special agent in charge Lucas Rothaar praising "a single, courageous member of the public" whose report helped prevent the attack. Raja Krishnamoorthi said he and his family were at the Aurora temple on Sunday, and he called the alleged attempt "a white supremacist attempted to carry out a mass shooting targeting Indian Americans at the Hindu temple in Aurora where my family worships."
Next court date and fallout
Palatine police said Paporakis’ next court appearance is set for Oct. 30 at 9 a.m. ET, after a judge ordered him detained at a detention hearing.
“‘We are deeply concerned by reports of an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting targeting a Hindu temple in the Aurora area of Illinois.”
BBC said Paporakis appeared in court on Wednesday charged with one count of making a terrorist threat and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon, and police said the specific intended location remained under investigation.
The FBI said it would continue to use law enforcement and prosecutorial resources to bring any offender using fear or violence to justice, and it credited the Palatine and Mount Prospect police departments for taking the suspect into custody without harm.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi was "deeply concerned" by reports of an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting targeting a Hindu temple in the Aurora area of Illinois.
Krishnamoorthi said the threat showed how dangerous anti-Indian hatred and white supremacy have become, and he said, "we cannot wait until innocent people are killed to take these threats seriously."