Illinois teenager arrested after investigation into alleged Hindu temple shooting plot
A 19-year-old from Palatine was charged with making a terrorist threat and unlawful weapons possession following discoveries of a white supremacist manifesto and communications about a potential mass shooting.
What happened
Alexandros Paporakis, 19, of Palatine, Illinois, was arrested and appeared in court after an investigation into threats of a potential mass shooting targeting a Hindu temple near Chicago. Two coworkers from a Taco Bell where Paporakis worked reported the incident to police on Sunday after he told a colleague his gun jammed and sent messages and photos showing an AR-style rifle and tactical vest. Paporakis is charged with one count of making a terrorist threat and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon for possessing a rifle with a barrel less than 16 inches long. Police searched his home and recovered a rifle, loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and body armor. Investigators found a manifesto on his electronics in which Paporakis identified as a white supremacist and wrote about his hatred for non-white people, mass killings, and carrying out a mass shooting.
Context
Prosecutors allege Paporakis made disparaging comments about people of other races at work and told a coworker on Saturday that he was planning "it" at a Hindu temple in Aurora, stating that Sunday "was going to be a special day." While police have not confirmed a specific intended location for the alleged threats, the investigation remains open. The incident has drawn attention from elected officials, with local Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi responding that Americans deserve to live and worship without fear.
What's disputed
A specific intended target location has not been confirmed by police.