Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.
A 19-year-old Illinois man has been charged in an alleged white supremacist plot to carry out a mass shooting at a Hindu temple near Chicago, with prosecutors saying he drove to the temple and tried to open fire before his rifle jammed.
Getting into it: Alexandros Paporakis, a Taco Bell cashier from Palatine, was arrested Sunday evening as he left his home, after coworkers reported his concerning messages to police. According to prosecutors, he phoned a coworker that afternoon, saying the gun had jammed and that he had gotten away “super fast,” and followed up with footage of the rifle clicking without firing, a selfie in tactical gear, and a message that he could “retry when I fix this.”
Police say his car pulled into a Hindu temple’s parking lot in Aurora, about 40 miles away, at 12:25 p.m. Sunday and was gone 13 minutes later, though they haven’t confirmed the intended target or named the temple. Coworkers said he made no secret at work of being a white supremacist, said he “couldn’t wait” to kill Indian people, and told one the day before that Sunday would be “a special day.” When they searched his home, police found an AR-style rifle with no serial number, loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, body armor and a patch with white supremacist imagery, along with a document laying out his alleged plan, which targeted people of Indian descent.
ABC7 Chicago, citing court filings, reported the plot was two years in the making. Paporakis is charged with making a terrorist threat and unlawful possession of a weapon, and a judge ordered him held until his next court date on Oct. 30.
“I think we were very fortunate that something much, much worse didn’t happen,” Palatine Police Chief William Nord said, praising the person who came forward. “The seriousness of this alleged threat cannot be overstated.”
Nord said investigators believe Paporakis acted alone and are working to determine how he got the rifle. The case also drew reaction overseas, where India’s foreign ministry called the alleged plot “particularly disturbing” for its “anti-Hindu and racist nature” and urged US authorities to bring those responsible to justice. Closer to home, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi said he was “horrified,” adding that “every American deserves to live and worship without fear.”
