Palatine mass shooting plot suspect targeted Hindu temple attended by Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, he says
A Palatine, Illinois teen arrested for an alleged mass shooting plot targeting a Hindu temple was working alone, police said Thursday.
CBS News Chicago spoke exclusively to a close friend of his, who did not want appear on camera, but said they are completely blindsided by this news, describing Alexandros Paporakis as a "really nice, quiet, shy kid."
Thursday morning, police from Palatine and Mount Prospect, along with the Chicago FBI, said the 19-year-old had apparently been planning the attack for some time, but as far as they can tell he was only working by himself.
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, both felonies.
Palatine police thanked Mount Prospect police several times for contacting them immediately when a good Samaritan called them to report the plot on Sunday. According to prosecutors, the good Samaritan was one of Paporakis' coworkers, who he texted on Sunday and told him he had gone to carry out his plan to attack a Hindu temple but his gun jammed.
After an extended Signal conversation in which Paporakis allegedly sent photos of an AR-style rifle and himself in a tactical vest, the coworker called Mount Prospect police, who immediately contacted Palatine police.
Palatine police said surveillance video showed Paporakis' car entering the parking lot of a "known large Hindu temple" in Aurora at 12:25 p.m. Sunday, then leaving at 12:38 p.m.
Police also said they do not plan to release the specific name of Hindu temple he targeted, but U.S. Rep. Raja Krisnmamoorthi (D-IL 2nd) said he and his family are worshippers at that temple, and were there at the time of the planned attack.
"It was a very special day, it was the start of one of the high holidays for the Hindu religion, if you will, which is called Navaratri, and so huge crowds visited that temple that day," Krishnamoorthi told CBS News Chicago.
He was shocked by the news of the arrest and said no one at the temple had any idea of what was transpiring outside.
"We have to do everything we can to stop this," he said.
Police said Paporakis then returned to Palatine. They said video showed Paporakis driving and alone in the car.
Police believed Paporakis would again try to execute his violent plan, so they arrested him outside his Palatine home Sunday afternoon.
While searching his home, police said they found a rifle, multiple loaded rifle magazines, hundreds of additional rounds of rifle ammunition, tactical equipment, a tactical vest containing body armor, and a patch with imagery associated with white supremacist extremism.
Officers also found an eight-page manifesto, containing both text and photos. Police said Thursday the manifesto indicated Paporakis was planning this attack "for some time." It is apparently filled with hateful thoughts toward non-white people, especially those who are Indian. In it, Paparokis allegedly self-identifies as a white supremacist and neo-Nazi. Law enforcement said he wrote about being "an ordinary white kid going to college and working. Underneath that façade was a sociopathic white supremacist neo-Nazi filled with hatred, fantasizing about mass murder nearly every day."
Police said Thursday they will not comment any further on the manifesto's content.
Police said Thursday that Paporakis had lived in Palatine with his mother for approximately a year. He did not have prior contact with either Palatine or Mount Prospect police. Palatine police said they have questioned his mother, but she is not cooperating with the investigation.
While federal charges have not yet been filed, the FBI said they are not off the table. Authorities are still sorting through the manifesto and considering any additional charges.
Court documents say Paporakis suffered from mental and emotional health issues and had been without prescribed medication. He was ordered detained while awaiting trial.
