A teenager was arrested on charges that he planned a mass shooting targeting a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois, after allegedly sharing a manifesto outlining plans for mass murder, according to police and prosecutors.
Alexandros Paporakis, a 19-year-old Taco Bell cashier from Palatine, Illinois, faces felony charges of making a terrorist threat and unlawfully possessing weapons. Authorities believe he was planning an attack on a Hindu temple on Sunday, though the specific location remains under investigation.
Paporakis was arrested Sunday by police from Mount Prospect and Palatine as he was leaving his home. Investigators believe the alleged attack was planned for that day after Paporakis had reportedly told coworkers that Sunday would be “a special day.”
Prosecutors allege Paporakis contacted a coworker by phone earlier Sunday and said his gun had jammed before leaving “super fast” without being seen.
The investigation began after coworkers reported receiving disturbing digital communications from Paporakis. They described him as a self-proclaimed white supremacist and alerted police to a document allegedly detailing plans for a mass shooting, along with photographs of tactical equipment.
Paporakis allegedly sent a coworker an eight-page document titled “Why I fought: A.K.A. (Aurora Shooter’s Manifesto),” according to a court document obtained by the Associated Press. The document described Indian, Jewish, and black people as “subhumans” and laid out a plan to kill as many people as possible.
In the manifesto, Paporakis allegedly described himself as “a sociopathic white supremacist Neo Nazi filled with hatred, fantasizing about mass murder nearly every day.”
A search of his home turned up an AR-style rifle without a serial number, loaded magazines, ammunition, a gas canister labeled with a slur targeting South Asians, and items bearing Nazi symbolism, according to police and prosecutors.
“The seriousness of this alleged threat cannot be overstated,” Palatine Police Chief William Nord said.
India’s government condemned the alleged plot and expressed particular concern over its reported anti-Hindu and racist elements.
“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,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.
Jaiswal said the alleged references to violence against people of Indian origin were particularly disturbing. He also pointed to broader concerns about racist hostility and anti-India hate in the United States, calling for greater vigilance and decisive action against hate-motivated violence.
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India urged U.S. authorities to conduct a thorough investigation, hold those responsible accountable, and take steps to protect the Indian community.
A judge ruled Wednesday that Paporakis would remain in custody while awaiting trial. He is scheduled to appear in court again Oct. 30.