A tip from a colleague helped foil an alleged mass shooting plot targeting a Hindu temple in the west suburbs, authorities said Thursday, with law enforcement praising a “single and courageous individual” whose report led to the arrest of a 19-year-old Palatine man accused of planning the attack.
“The public remains law enforcement’s greatest asset in disrupting acts of violence,” Lucas Rothaar, acting special agent for the FBI’s Chicago field office, said at a news conference Thursday. “I would like to congratulate and offer my sincerest personal thanks to the individual who has come forward during numerous successful law enforcement disruptions and possible acts of violence or terrorist attacks. He is a unique and courageous member of the public who has come forward to prevent the attacks.”
Rothaar, along with members of the Palatine Police Department, said Thursday that Alexandros Paporakis, 19, of Palatine, drove to a well-known Hindu temple in Aurora with the intention of opening fire. After his rifle malfunctioned, he returned home, police said.
A concerned co-worker reported to Mount Prospect police that they had received suspicious communications from Paporakis that day, leading law enforcement to obtain a search warrant and arrest Paporakis before he could return to the scene.
“I think we were very fortunate that something much worse didn’t happen,” Palatine Police Chief Bill Nord said.
After the tip, police said they identified a red Acura registered to Paporakis. Surveillance video showed the suspect in the car, entering the Hindu temple parking lot at 12:25 p.m., then exiting three minutes later.
Paporakis was then observed going to his residence in Palatine, off Rand Road, where he lived with his mother, police said. After obtaining a search warrant, police found a rifle, a loaded magazine, hundreds of rifle rounds and other tactical equipment in Paporakis’ possession.
Police also found what they described as an eight-page manifesto, revealing that Paporakis had been planning the attack for some time.
Police added that Paporakis’ mother was questioned but was not cooperating with investigators.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi released a statement saying he and his family were at the Hindu temple on Sunday, the same day authorities said Paporakis intended to carry out the attack.
“The threat of such violence demonstrates how dangerous anti-Indian hatred and white supremacy have become, and we cannot wait until innocent people are killed to take these threats seriously,” Krishnamoorthi’s statement read in part. “I am grateful to the suspect’s colleagues who alerted the police and I commend the law enforcement officers who responded.” Every American deserves to live and worship without fear, and we must unite against hate in all its forms. »
The temple posted a message on its website saying it was aware of the recent security threat.
“Please know that the safety of our congregants, employees and volunteers is our highest priority, and we have implemented additional security measures effective immediately, including an increased armed security presence at the Temple and are taking additional steps to ensure a continued safe environment for everyone at the Temple,” the message said.
A teenager whose so-called manifesto affirmed his hatred of non-white people is behind bars. His hate crime was stopped because someone saw and said something, as Chuck Goudie reports.
Alleged mass shooting plot
Paporakis is 19 years old and works as a cashier at a fast food restaurant. Police in Palatine, his northwest suburban hometown, said Paporakis had plotted to carry out a “mass shooting of Indians” at a Hindu temple in Aurora, where they say he was driving last Sunday, dressed for war.
Authorities say the 19-year-old was one faulty rifle away from becoming a mass shooter.
His alleged target was the largest Hindu temple in the southwest suburb of Aurora. The sprawling place of worship was filled with people and joy on Sunday – when police said a young man showed up “to kill a significant number of Indians”, police said.
But fate had a different outcome in mind for Paporakis, according to a recently filed court filing.
Investigators say he had a modified AR-style rifle and 300 rounds of ammunition, enough to fill ten reloading magazines, as well as a bulletproof vest, cans of gasoline and an assortment of swastikas.
Paporakis, a Taco Bell employee, allegedly drove from his mother’s home in Palatine to the Aurora Temple. Authorities say he tried to open fire, but the gun jammed so he returned home. There, he “searched the Internet to try to unlock his gun and called a co-worker to inform him of (his) intention to carry out a mass shooting.”
Several sources familiar with the matter say the colleague then informed police of the plot and that Paporakis was arrested on Sunday before he could return to the Hindu temple.
What police found when they searched the suspect’s home
Investigators say they found a manifesto apparently written by the teen, who called himself “Aurora Shooter.” The writings “expressed hatred, violence, racial superiority, and mass shootings against Indians.” His hatred was against Jews, African-Americans, Indians and ‘non-whites’.
They say he “expressed pleasure in describing himself as a hate-filled sociopathic white supremacist neo-Nazi, fantasizing about mass murder almost every day.”
Paporakis faces gun-related charges and is accused of making a terroristic threat. A Cook County judge has now ordered him held without bail and put in place a jail health care order for the teen, noting that he is being treated for ADHD, depression, anxiety and receiving hormone injections for gender transition.
His public defender told NBC Chicago that statements from police and prosecutors are only allegations at this point and may change as the investigation continues.
The president of the Aurora Hindu Temple tells our team that, fortunately, they already have a strong security presence, and he praises the suburban police for thwarting the threat against their house of worship.
Gn headline
