Washington, Oct 23: US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has warned that growing anti-Indian rhetoric in the United States is turning into violence, accusing political leaders of encouraging hostility and questioning why the FBI failed to detect an alleged two-year plot to attack a Hindu temple near Chicago.
In an exclusive interview with IANS, the Indian-American lawmaker said a potentially devastating massacre was prevented only because the gunman’s weapon jammed after he fired a shot outside the Balaji temple on October 11. “Numerous families were celebrating Navaratri inside the Balaji temple, including my own,” Krishnamoorthi told IANS.
“And little did we know that a gunman was outside, with an AR-15 style weapon and more than 300 rounds of ammunition, ready to commit a massacre.” He said the attacker fired one shot before the weapon malfunctioned, preventing what could have been an enormous tragedy.
The Congressman expressed concern over the absence of a response from the FBI to his demands for an investigation. “No, we have not received a response yet,” he said. Asked about the apparent silence of FBI Director Kash Patel, Krishnamoorthi said he could not explain it. “I don’t know. You’re gonna have to ask him.” He also criticised fellow lawmakers who had not publicly condemned the incident.
“And I think that basically when you’re silent, it almost can be viewed as condoning what happened,” he said. Krishnamoorthi insisted that political leaders must condemn hatred regardless of the community targeted, including Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Christians and Sikhs. Turning to the wider climate of hostility towards Indians and Asians, he accused influential political figures of encouraging divisive rhetoric.
“Well, unfortunately, in part, it’s because it’s being fanned by leaders even at the top of our country,” he said. He cited Bo French, whom he described as a MAGA candidate from Texas, for portraying Indian-origin children attending a football game as foreigners displacing Americans.
Krishnamoorthi said many of the children were born in Texas and argued that the remarks reflected racial prejudice rather than genuine immigration concerns. He also criticised a subsequent US Department of Education social media post featuring white spectators at a University of Texas football game with the message, “Make college football great again.” The Congressman alleged that the post encouraged the sentiment expressed by French.
“That type of fanning of the flames only makes the rhetoric stronger, more insidious, and it just takes one person to act on it,” he said. “That’s what we’re seeing right now, that rhetoric is becoming violence.” Discussing the temple incident, Krishnamoorthi said the suspect faced weapons-related charges and an alleged terrorism-related offence. He said investigators were pursuing the case but argued that federal authorities should devote greater attention to domestic violent extremism.
“They are not spending enough resources on uncovering domestic violent extremism, including what happened here,” he said. He questioned why a plot allegedly developing over two years had escaped detection. Krishnamoorthi said he had specifically requested a federal hate crime investigation, including an examination of the suspect’s online influences and radicalisation.
The Congressman represents Illinois in the US House of Representatives and has been a prominent Indian-American voice on national security and community concerns. His comments come amid continuing concerns among Indian-American communities over religious intolerance, racial hostility and the security of places of worship in the United States.
IANS