File photo: Alexandros Paporakis, 19, has been charged over an alleged mass shooting plot that may have targeted a Hindu place of worship near Chicago
The 19-year-old transgender teen accused of plotting a racist mass shooting at a Hindu temple near Chicago will reportedly continue receiving hormone injections for gender transition while in jail awaiting trial, after a judge ordered his detention without bail.Alexandros Paporakis, a transgender man from Palatine, Illinois, appeared in court on Wednesday, when the judge also addressed his medical treatment. Paporakis is being treated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression and anxiety, in addition to receiving hormone injections, NBC Chicago reported.The ruling came days after Paporakis was arrested over an alleged plan to attack a Hindu temple in Aurora, a suburb of Chicago.
Prosecutors say he told co-workers he “couldn’t wait to kill Indian people” and described himself as a white supremacist.
‘Couldn’t wait to kill Indians’
Paporakis, who worked as a cashier at Taco Bell, was arrested on Sunday after a co-worker alerted police to suspicious communications. The messages reportedly included an eight-page document outlining an alleged mass-shooting plan and photographs of a rifle, ammunition magazines and tactical equipment.
Police said Paporakis drove to a large Hindu temple in Aurora at about 12.25 pm on Sunday, intending to open fire. Surveillance footage reportedly showed his car entering the parking lot before leaving a few minutes later.According to investigators, his rifle malfunctioned, preventing the alleged attack from proceeding as planned. Paporakis then returned to his home in Palatine, where he allegedly searched online for instructions on how to fix the jammed weapon and contacted a co-worker about his intention to carry out a mass shooting.The co-worker alerted police, who obtained a search warrant and arrested Paporakis before he could allegedly return to the temple. FBI Chicago acting special agent in charge Lucas Rothaar praised the informant, saying the public remained law enforcement’s “greatest asset” in disrupting acts of violence.“I want to praise and offer my personal, sincerest thanks to the individual who stepped forward,” Rothaar said at a news conference.A search of Paporakis’ home uncovered an AR-style rifle, a loaded magazine, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and tactical equipment, police said. Investigators also found an eight-page manifesto that allegedly expressed hatred towards Indians, Jews, Black people and other non-white communities, alongside white supremacist and Nazi imagery.Prosecutors said Paporakis had told co-workers he “couldn’t wait to kill Indian people”.
In the manifesto, he allegedly described himself as “a sociopathic white supremacist Neo Nazi filled with hatred, fantasizing about mass murder nearly every day”.
Temple boosts security after alleged plot
The alleged plot has raised concern among Hindu Americans and Indian-origin communities. Democratic representative Raja Krishnamoorthi said he and his family were at the Aurora temple on Sunday, the same day authorities believe Paporakis intended to carry out the attack.“The threat of such violence shows how dangerous anti-Indian hatred and white supremacy have become,” Krishnamoorthi said, calling for threats to be taken seriously before anyone was killed.The temple said the safety of its devotees, employees and volunteers was its highest priority and announced additional security measures, including an increased armed-security presence.Paporakis faces felony charges of making a terrorist threat and unlawfully possessing a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches. A judge ordered him held without bail on Wednesday and issued an order addressing his healthcare in custody, including hormone injections for gender transition. He is due back in court on October 30.