Illinois Teen Charged Over Alleged Hindu Temple Shooting Plot; Prosecutors Say His Rifle Jammed

A 19-year-old Chicago-area man is in custody on felony charges after police say they stopped a white supremacist plan to shoot up a Hindu place of worship. India's Ministry of External Affairs weighed in Thursday, Oct. 15, demanding a full investigation.

Alexandros Paporakis of Palatine was arrested on Sunday, Palatine police said. He faces charges of making a terrorist threat, a Class X felony, and unlawful possession of weapons. The charges are allegations, and it was not immediately clear whether he has a lawyer.

How police say it started

The Palatine investigation began on Oct. 11, when the Mount Prospect Police Department passed Palatine detectives information from an individual who had received concerning electronic messages from Paporakis. Officers from both departments arrested him as he left his home, police said.

A search of the house turned up a rifle, multiple loaded magazines, hundreds of additional rounds of rifle ammunition and a tactical vest with body armor. Police said the vest carried a patch with imagery associated with white supremacist extremism. According to police and prosecutors, the rifle was AR-style and had no serial number.

Investigators also examined a document titled "Why I Fought: A.K.A.: (Aurora Shooter's Manifesto)." Police said it expresses white supremacist views and references violence against South Asians, specifically Indians. According to the AP, the eight-page text disparaged Indian, Jewish and Black people and outlined a plan to kill as many people as possible.

What prosecutors told the court

The Cook County State's Attorney's Office laid out its case Wednesday, Oct. 14, at a detention hearing in Rolling Meadows. Paporakis worked as a Taco Bell cashier. Prosecutors said a coworker told police he openly called himself a white supremacist and said he "couldn't wait" to kill Indian people.

The day before his arrest, prosecutors said, he told a coworker he was planning "it" at the largest Hindu temple in Aurora. Another coworker said he called the following day "a special day."

The allegations about the failed attempt are the most specific in the case. Prosecutors said a coworker got a call from Paporakis saying his gun had jammed and that he had gotten away "super-fast." They said he then sent a video of an AR-style rifle failing to fire when the trigger was pulled, plus a photo of himself in a tactical vest.

In messages described in court, prosecutors said, he told the coworker he was lucky no one saw him fire inside his vehicle. He allegedly wrote that he could "retry when I fix this." Court documents, according to ABC7 Chicago, say he had been planning the attack for two years and searched online for how to clear the jam after returning home.

What is still unconfirmed

There is a gap between the prosecution's account and the police statement. Prosecutors allege Paporakis drove to the Aurora temple and tried to open fire. Police, however, said the specific intended location "has not been confirmed and remains under investigation." They have not named the temple.

The sources also differ on timing. Several reports say authorities believed he planned to carry out his attack on Sunday, while one report says that, by his own admission to a coworker, he went to the Aurora temple on Saturday and tried to open fire.

The FBI is assisting; police said it helped them gain access to his electronic equipment and communications. FBI Chicago Special Agent in Charge Ryan Whalen said the subject was taken into custody "without harm to our community." No federal charges have been announced.

Paporakis has not been heard from publicly. Nothing in the filings has been tested in court, and he is presumed innocent. A judge ordered him held in custody, and his next court appearance is set for Oct. 30.

India's response

India's Ministry of External Affairs, through spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, issued a statement. "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," Jaiswal said. He called the reported anti-Hindu and racist nature of the plot, including references to violence against people of Indian origin, "particularly disturbing."

The ministry said it had taken note of the arrest, detention and charges. It also said the case "adds to growing concerns over racist hostility and anti-India hate in the US," and called for "zero tolerance for hate-motivated violence" and "decisive action to ensure the safety and security of the Indian community."

The ministry added: "We expect US authorities to thoroughly investigate the matter, bring those responsible to justice, and take all necessary measures to prevent such incidents."

The trend claim is the Indian ministry's own assessment. Human rights advocates cited in coverage of the case likewise say hate against South Asians has surged in the United States in recent years, which they attribute to rising anti-immigration policies and white supremacist ideology. This single case does not by itself establish a national trend, and the causes advocates cite are their characterization, not a finding in the charging documents.

The facts that stand

What is documented is narrower and more concrete. A person who received alarming messages reported them. Police acted, arrested the suspect and recovered a rifle, ammunition and body armor. Whatever the final charges, that chain worked as intended.

The open questions are specific. Which temple was the target? Did Paporakis actually drive to Aurora and pull the trigger, as prosecutors allege, and on which day? Will federal prosecutors file anything of their own? The Oct. 30 hearing and any FBI findings are where those answers will start to show.