Illinois Man, 19, Charged Over Alleged Plot to Shoot Up Aurora Hindu Temple; Rifle Jammed, Congressman Was Worshipping Inside

AURORA, Ill. — Alexandros Paporakis, 19, of Palatine, Illinois, has been charged with one count of making a terrorist threat and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon (a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches), both felonies, over an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Aurora. Paporakis lived with his mother in Palatine, about 40 miles northeast of the temple, and worked as a cashier at a Taco Bell in Arlington Heights.

Prosecutors say Paporakis told a coworker on October 10 that he could not wait to kill Indian people. On Sunday, October 11, he drove to the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple at 1145 W. Sullivan Rd in Aurora, the largest Hindu temple in the city. Palatine Police Chief William Nord said at a Thursday news conference that a red Acura RDX registered to Paporakis entered the temple parking lot at about 12:25 p.m. and left roughly 13 minutes later. Prosecutors allege he tried to fire at a man but his rifle jammed, and that he left quickly without being seen. Police say the exact intended target remains under investigation and that, so far, he appears to have acted alone.

According to prosecutors, Paporakis later called a coworker and said his gun had jammed and that he planned to fix it and try again. He also sent the coworker a video of the rifle failing to fire, a photo of himself in a tactical vest, and an eight-page document in which, prosecutors say, he used racist slurs for Indian, Jewish and Black people and outlined a plan to kill as many people as possible. Two coworkers contacted police. Mount Prospect police passed the tip to Palatine police, and officers from both departments arrested Paporakis on Sunday evening as he left his home in the 1300 block of North Baldwin Court.

A search of his home recovered an AR-style rifle without a serial number, multiple loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition (about 300), a tactical vest with body armor bearing a patch with white-supremacist imagery, and a gas canister labeled with a slur referring to South Asians, authorities said. The FBI's Chicago field office is assisting. Police said Thursday that Paporakis's mother was questioned but is not cooperating.

At an October 14 detention hearing at the Cook County Third Municipal District Courthouse in Rolling Meadows, a judge ordered Paporakis held in custody. He is in the Cook County Jail, with his next court appearance set for October 30. The Cook County Public Defender's Office, which represents him, said in a statement reported by the Associated Press that the case is at its earliest stage and that statements by police and prosecutors are allegations that can change as the investigation continues.

U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi said in an October 15 statement issued through his House office that he and his family were worshipping at the temple when the attack was attempted that Sunday. He thanked the coworkers who alerted police and the officers who intervened, and said anti-Indian hatred and white supremacy must be taken seriously before innocent people are killed. On Friday, October 16, Krishnamoorthi joined Rep. Brad Schneider at a Chicago news conference calling for increased federal nonprofit security grant funding. Aurora Mayor John Laesch said Thursday that police are reaching out to other temples in the area with contact information. (GSM, based on Palatine police statements, Cook County prosecutors' filings, and reporting by the Associated Press and Reuters)

Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 位于奥罗拉的斯里·文卡特斯瓦拉·斯瓦米（巴拉吉）寺庙（资料图），Ethajek 摄，Wikimedia Commons，公共领域

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