US teen held over alleged Hindu temple shooting plot in Illinois, rifle and ammunition seized

New Delhi: A 19-year-old man has been arrested in Illinois over an alleged plan to carry out a mass shooting at a Hindu place of worship in the Aurora area near Chicago. Alexandros Paporakis, of Palatine, was detained on Sunday and faces charges of making a terrorist threat and unlawful possession of a short-barrelled rifle.

The investigation began after the Mount Prospect police department received a warning from a person who said Paporakis had sent concerning electronic messages. The department alerted Palatine police, who arrested him as he left his home later that day.

A search of the residence uncovered an AR-style rifle without a serial number, loaded rifle magazines, hundreds of rounds of additional ammunition and tactical equipment. Police also recovered a tactical vest containing body armour and a patch displaying imagery associated with white supremacist extremism, according to Reuters.

Extremist document and alleged rifle malfunction

Investigators, assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), examined electronic communications and an eight-page document attributed to Paporakis, titled “Why I Fought: A.K.A.: (Aurora Shooter’s Manifesto)”. Police said it expressed white supremacist ideas and threatened violence against people of South Asian heritage, particularly Indians.

Prosecutors said Paporakis had told colleagues at a restaurant in Arlington Heights about wanting to attack what he called Aurora’s largest Hindu temple. Co-workers also alleged that he had repeatedly expressed racist and neo-Nazi views.

In court, prosecutors alleged that Paporakis told a colleague on Sunday that he had tried to use his rifle but it jammed, prompting him to flee. He later allegedly sent a video of the malfunction and discussed repairing the firearm before trying again. These details remain allegations rather than independently established accounts of an attempted shooting.

“The seriousness of this alleged threat cannot be overstated. Through the immediate sharing of information and coordinated response by the Palatine and Mount Prospect police departments, officers were able to identify and take the suspect into custody.

We are grateful for the FBI’s assistance in the subsequent investigation and commend the individual who initially came forward with this information. Protecting our communities and places of worship remains a priority, and we will continue working with our law enforcement partners as this investigation moves forward,” said Palatine police chief William Nord.

Police have not identified a specific temple

Investigators believe Paporakis may have been planning an attack on October 11, potentially targeting a Hindu place of worship in the Aurora area, although police have not confirmed a specific intended location. Police subsequently contacted Hindu places of worship in the area to alert them to the potential threat. Authorities said they had identified no continuing threat to the public.

Paporakis faces one count of making a terrorist threat, a Class X felony, and one count of unlawfully possessing a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches, a Class 3 felony. A Cook County judge ordered him held in pretrial detention after a hearing in Rolling Meadows on Wednesday.

His next court appearance is scheduled for October 30. His public defender has emphasized that the prosecution allegations remain unproven, according to the Indian Express.

India’s consulate in Chicago welcomed the swift response by US law enforcement, saying it was in contact with the Indian diaspora and monitoring developments. The investigation remains open, and police have not announced further charges.