Photo: Mysterymanblue / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
A 19-year-old man from Palatine, Illinois, is in custody in the United States after police said he planned a mass shooting that may have been aimed at a Hindu place of worship in the Aurora area. Investigators say Alexandros Paporakis wrote a manifesto filled with white supremacist ideas, including references to violence against people of Indian descent. India’s consulate in Chicago has praised the police for acting quickly.
How the alleged plot came to light
According to the Palatine Police Department, the case began on October 11, when neighbouring Mount Prospect police passed on a warning about a possible mass shooting. The tip came from a person who said they had received disturbing electronic messages from Paporakis. Police said he had shared a document laying out a plan for a shooting, along with pictures of a rifle, magazines, body armour and other tactical gear.
Detectives believe the attack may have been planned for that same Sunday, October 11. Police stressed that the exact target has not been confirmed and is still under investigation. Officers from the two departments tracked Paporakis down and arrested him that evening as he was leaving his home.
A document attributed to him carried the title “Why I Fought: A.K.A.: (Aurora shooter’s manifesto)”. Police said it contained extremist and white supremacist views, with references to violence against people of South Asian heritage, especially those of Indian descent. A search of his home turned up a rifle, several loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a tactical vest with body armour bearing a patch linked to white supremacist imagery.
Charges and court dates
Paporakis faces one count of making a terrorist threat, a Class X felony in Illinois, and one count of unlawful possession of weapons over a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches. At a detention hearing on Wednesday, October 14, at a Cook County courthouse in Rolling Meadows, a judge ordered that he stay in custody. He is due back in court on October 30.
The seriousness of this alleged threat cannot be overstated.
William Nord, Palatine Police Chief
Police said they are working with the FBI and that more charges are being considered. They added that they know of no continuing threat to the public. Aurora police, who were also alerted, contacted Hindu places of worship in their area to warn them.
India and community groups react
The Consulate General of India in Chicago said it was aware of reports of a foiled attempt to target a place of worship in Aurora, appreciated the timely action by law enforcement, and was in touch with members of the Indian diaspora while it monitors developments. The Hindu American Foundation also thanked the police and urged people to stay alert and report any threats.
Why it matters
The arrest came during the Navaratri festival season, when temples see large crowds. It also came about two weeks after the Shree Swaminarayan Vadtal Dham Hindu Mandir in Richmond Heights, Ohio, was vandalised. Both incidents add to worries about safety at Hindu temples in the US. The FBI’s Chicago office said it works with local and state police to break up threats of violence driven by radical ideologies. The next step is the October 30 hearing, and any further charges that come out of the joint investigation.
