Who is Alexandros Paporakis? MEA reacts as US authorities foil alleged plot to attack Hindu temple in Illinois

A 19-year-old Illinois man has been accused of planning a mass shooting at a Hindu place of worship in the Aurora area of the US state of Illinois. Prosecutors allege that Alexandros Paporakis spent months planning the attack, researching the intended location online and writing an eight-page manifesto that called for violence against multiple racial and religious groups.

The alleged attack was prevented after two of his co-workers alerted the police, leading to his arrest before anyone was injured.

Paporakis, a resident of Palatine, was arrested on October 11. He faces charges of making a terrorist threat, a Class X felony, and unlawfully possessing a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches, a Class 3 felony.

He has not entered a plea, and the allegations against him remain unproven in court. A judge ordered him held pending trial on October 14. His next court appearance is scheduled for October 30.

Investigators said Paporakis worked as a cashier at a Taco Bell outlet in Arlington Heights. According to prosecutors, his co-workers reported that he frequently made racist remarks, identified himself as a white supremacist and openly discussed Nazi ideology and armed violence.

Court documents alleged that the manifesto contained racist slurs and hateful statements targeting people of Indian ancestry, Jewish people and Black people. Prosecutors said the document described these groups as “subhumans” and discussed a plan to kill as many people as possible.

The allegations detailed in the charging documents have not been proven in court.

The document allegedly described how Paporakis acquired and modified an AR-style rifle. It also outlined how he used YouTube and Google Street View to study the intended target.

Prosecutors alleged that Paporakis wrote that he had been planning a mass attack for two years and had focused on the specific location for the preceding two months.

The manifesto allegedly encouraged others to carry out similar attacks. Prosecutors said Paporakis described how he would appear to be an ordinary white college student while secretly embracing neo-Nazi ideology and fantasies of committing mass murder.

The following day, he allegedly called the same co-worker and claimed that his firearm had jammed. Prosecutors said he told the co-worker that he had quickly left the scene after the malfunction.

The co-worker also received a video allegedly showing an AR-style rifle failing to fire, along with a photograph of Paporakis wearing a tactical vest.

According to prosecutors, Paporakis discussed repairing the firearm so that he could “retry” the attack. He also allegedly remarked that the intended victim “was certainly saved by his God today.”

Alarmed by the messages, two co-workers contacted emergency services. Police subsequently located and arrested Paporakis in a parking lot near his apartment later that afternoon.

The Palatine Police Department said the investigation was continuing with assistance from the FBI’s Chicago Field Office.

In response to media queries regarding the incident, Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said:

“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. The reported anti-Hindu and racist nature of the alleged plot, including references to violence against people of Indian origin, is particularly disturbing.

“We have taken note of the action taken by US law enforcement authorities, including the arrest and detention of the suspect and the charges brought against him.

“This incident adds to growing concerns over racist hostility and anti-India hate in the US. There is a need for greater vigilance, zero tolerance for hate-motivated violence, and decisive action to ensure the safety and security of the Indian community.

“We expect US authorities to thoroughly investigate the matter, bring those responsible to justice, and take all necessary measures to prevent such incidents.”

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