Police in a Chicago suburb said Wednesday they had disrupted a possible mass shooting plot and arrested a 19-year-old man accused of considering an attack on a Hindu place of worship.
Alexandros Paporakis, a Taco Bell cashier from Palatine, Illinois, has been charged with felony counts of making a terrorist threat and unlawful weapons possession. Investigators believe he may have intended to target the largest Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois, though authorities said the precise location remains under investigation. It was not immediately known whether Paporakis had an attorney representing him.
Paporakis’ co-workers told investigators they received disturbing digital messages from him, including a document that allegedly detailed plans for a mass shooting, along with photographs of tactical equipment. Prosecutors from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said he identified himself as a white supremacist at work and told colleagues he could not wait to kill Indian people.
The Mount Prospect and Palatine police departments worked together to find and arrest Paporakis as he left his home Sunday afternoon. Detectives believe he may have been preparing to launch an attack that day, Palatine police said. He had allegedly told co-workers at Taco Bell that Sunday would be “a special day.”
Earlier that Sunday, prosecutors said, Paporakis called one co-worker and claimed his gun had jammed. He allegedly said he had left “super fast” without being seen.
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“The seriousness of this alleged threat cannot be overstated,” Palatine Police Chief William Nord said, emphasizing that protecting houses of worship remains a priority for law enforcement.
According to a court document obtained by The Associated Press, Paporakis allegedly sent the co-worker an eight-page document titled “Why I fought: A.K.A. (Aurora Shooter’s Manifesto).” The document referred to Indian, Jewish and African American people as “subhumans” and described a plan to kill as many of them as possible, prosecutors allege.
During a search of Paporakis’ home, detectives found an AR-style rifle with no serial number, loaded magazines and ammunition, police and prosecutors said. They also recovered a gas canister marked with a slur targeting South Asians and several items featuring Nazi symbolism.
In the alleged manifesto, Paporakis described himself as “a sociopathic white supremacist Neo Nazi filled with hatred, fantasizing about mass murder nearly every day.”
A judge ordered Paporakis held in jail pending trial on Wednesday. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 30.