A tip from a coworker helped thwart an alleged mass shooting plot targeting a Hindu temple in the western suburbs, authorities said Thursday, with law enforcement praising a “single, 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,” FBI Chicago Field Office acting special agent in charge Lucas Rothaar said during a news conference Thursday. “I want to praise and offer my personal, sincerest thanks to the individual who stepped forward in many successful disruptions by law enforcement and potential acts of violence or terrorism attacks. It is a single, courageous member of the public who comes forward to prevent attacks.”
Rothaar, along with members of the Palatine Police Department, said Thursday that 19-year-old Alexandros Paporakis, of Palatine, drove to a well-known Hindu temple in Aurora with the intent to open fire. After his rifle malfunctioned, he drove back home, police said.
A concerned coworker reported to Mount Prospect Police that they had received suspicious communications that day from Paporakis, 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, much worse did not happen,” Palatine Chief of Police 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 parking lot at the Hindu temple at 12:25 p.m. and then exiting three minutes later.
Paporakis was then observed driving to his residence in Palatine, near Rand Road, where he lived with his mother, police said. After obtaining a search warrant, police found a rifle, a loaded magazine, hundreds of rounds of rifle ammunition and other tactical gear in Paporakis’ possession.
Police also found what they described as an eight-page manifesto, which revealed Paporakis had been planning the attack for some time.
Police added that Paporakis’ mother had been questioned but is not cooperating with investigators.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi released a statement saying him and his family were at the Hindu temple Sunday, the same day authorities said Paporakis intended to carry out the attack.
“The threat of such violence shows 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 said in part. “I am grateful to the suspect’s coworkers who alerted police and commend the law enforcement officers who intervened. Every American deserves to live and worship without fear, and we must stand together against hatred in all its forms.”
The temple issued a message on its website saying it was aware of the recent security threat.
“Please know that the safety of our devotees, employees and volunteers is our highest priority, and we have implemented additional security measures effective immediately, including increased armed security presence at the Temple and are taking additional steps to ensure an ongoing safe environment for everyone at the Temple,” the message said.
Alleged mass shooting plot
Paporakis, 19 and works as a cashier at a fast-food restaurant. According to police in his northwest suburban hometown of Palatine, Paporakis had plotted to carry out a “mass shooting of Indian people” at a Hindu temple in Aurora, where they say he drove last Sunday decked out for war.
Authorities say the 19-year-old was one malfunctioning rifle away from becoming a mass shooter.
His alleged target was the largest Hindu temple in southwest suburban Aurora. On Sunday, the sprawling place of worship was filled with people and filled with joy-when police say a young man showed up “to kill a significant number of Indians,” police say.
But fate had a different outcome in mind for Paporakis, according to a newly filed court record.
Investigators say he had a modified AR-style rifle and 300 rounds of ammo, enough to fill ten magazines for reloading, along with body armor, gasoline cans 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 drove home. There he “searched internet trying to learn how to unjam his gun & called a colleague informing them of (his) intent to carry out a mass shooting.”
Several sources familiar with the case say the co-worker then notified police of the plot, and Paporakis was arrested 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 teenager-who called himself the “Aurora Shooter.” The writings “expressed words of hate, violence, superior race and mass shooting of Indian people. His hatred was against Jewish people, African-Americans, Indians, and “non-white” people.”
They say he “expressed pleasure calling himself a sociopathic white supremacist Neo-Nazi filled with hatred, fantasizing about mass murder nearly every day.”
Paporakis is facing gun charges and stands accused of making a terrorist threat. A Cook County judge has now ordered him held without bond and has put a jailhouse healthcare order into place for the teenager, noting that he’s being treated for ADHD, depression, anxiety, and receives hormone injections for gender transition.
His public defender tells NBC Chicago that statements from police and prosecutors are only allegations at this point and can change as the investigation continues.
The chairman of the Hindu temple in Aurora tells our team that thankfully they already have a robust security presence, and he’s praising suburban police for foiling the threat against their place of worship.
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