AURORA, Illinois — A 19-year-old Illinois man is being held without bond after prosecutors said he drove to a Hindu temple in Aurora with an AR-style rifle and about 300 rounds of ammunition and tried to open fire, only to flee when the weapon jammed, according to police and prosecutors as reported by the Associated Press.
Alexandros Paporakis of Palatine was arrested on October 11 outside his home after a co-worker alerted police. He has been charged with making a terrorist threat and unlawful possession of weapons. A judge ordered him detained at a hearing in Rolling Meadows, and his next court appearance is scheduled for October 30.
Prosecutors from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said Paporakis, who worked as a cashier at a local restaurant, openly identified as a white supremacist at work and told a co-worker he could not wait to kill Indian people. On October 10, according to court documents, he told the co-worker he planned to attack what he described as the largest Hindu temple in Aurora. The following day a vehicle registered to him entered the parking lot of the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora and left within about 15 minutes, police said.
Investigators allege that Paporakis attempted to fire the rifle, that it malfunctioned, and that he fled undetected. He later contacted the co-worker, said the gun had jammed, searched online for how to fix it, and discussed trying again, according to prosecutors. The co-worker and a colleague alerted authorities through the Mount Prospect Police Department, and Palatine police made the arrest, assisted by the FBI’s Chicago Field Office.
A search of his home recovered a modified AR-style rifle, loaded magazines, about 300 rounds of ammunition, body armor and a tactical vest, investigators said. Court documents cite an eight-page manifesto titled “Why I Fought,” containing racist and extremist material targeting people of Indian descent, Jewish people and African Americans. “The seriousness of this alleged threat cannot be overstated,” Palatine Police Chief William Nord said, adding that the document reflected extremist ideologies and discussed violence and mass killings.
The temple’s management confirmed its premises had been the target of a security threat and announced additional measures, including an increased armed security presence. No one was injured. The allegations are charges, not a conviction, and Paporakis is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The case underlines two points law enforcement officials make after foiled attacks: the role of people who hear threats and report them — here, co-workers who went to police the same day — and the vulnerability of houses of worship, which have added security planning in recent years after attacks on religious sites across the United States. It also arrives as the temple community prepares for the court process, with the October 30 hearing the next step in establishing how the case will proceed.
