A 19-year-old Taco Bell employee accused of planning an attack on a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois, was arrested after a co-worker alerted police; investigators recovered a rifle, ammunition and an alleged manifesto expressing white supremacist views.
A 19-year-old man has been arrested in the US on charges of making a terrorist threat and illegally possessing a rifle after allegedly planning a mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois. Prosecutors said the attack was thwarted after his rifle jammed and a co-worker alerted the police.
Alexandros Paporakis, a resident of Palatine, was arrested on October 11. A judge ordered him to be held without bond at a hearing in Rolling Meadows on Wednesday. His next court date is scheduled for October 30.
According to prosecutors and court records, Paporakis worked as a cashier at a Taco Bell outlet in Arlington Heights for about seven months. Co-workers told investigators that he had expressed white supremacist views, made racist remarks targeting Indians and frequently discussed Nazis and armed violence.
On Saturday, October 10, he allegedly told a co-worker that he wanted to kill Indians and planned to attack what he described as the largest Hindu temple in Aurora. He also spoke of using a large quantity of ammunition, prosecutors said.
Investigators allege that Paporakis drove to the temple area the following day with an AR-style rifle, about 300 rounds of ammunition, body armour and other tactical equipment. He allegedly attempted to fire the weapon, but it jammed, following which he fled.
After returning home, Paporakis allegedly searched online for ways to repair the rifle and contacted a co-worker about the failed attempt. He also sent a video showing the weapon failing to fire and a photograph of himself wearing a tactical vest. In messages, he allegedly discussed fixing the gun and trying again.
The co-worker and another employee contacted emergency services. Police from Palatine and Mount Prospect arrested Paporakis at a parking lot near his apartment at around 3.42 pm on Sunday.
A search of his residence led to the recovery of an AR-style rifle without a serial number, loaded magazines, ammunition, body armour, a gas can and items bearing Nazi symbols, according to investigators.
Police, with assistance from the FBI’s Chicago field office, also recovered an eight-page document titled Why I Fought: A.K.A. (Aurora Shooter’s Manifesto).
Prosecutors allege that the document contained white supremacist and neo-Nazi views, described non-white communities, including Indians, in racist terms, and outlined plans to kill as many people as possible. It also allegedly detailed how the accused obtained and modified the rifle and researched the intended target using online tools.
Palatine Police Chief William Nord said investigators believed Paporakis had been planning an attack on a Hindu place of worship in the Aurora area. However, the specific intended target had not been conclusively established, and the investigation was continuing.
Aurora police were informed and contacted Hindu temples in the area. Authorities said no continuing threat to the public had been identified.
The Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora has been widely identified in reports as a possible target. The temple is a major religious and cultural centre for the Indian-American community in the Chicago area.
Paporakis faces charges of making a terrorist threat, a Class X felony, and unlawful possession of a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches, a Class 3 felony. Police said they were examining whether additional charges were warranted.
His public defender has stressed that the allegations made by prosecutors and police remain unproven. The investigation is continuing with assistance from the FBI.
