Palatine teen charged in alleged mass shooting plot worked alone, targeted "known" Aurora Hindu temple
A Palatine, Illinois teen arrested for an alleged mass shooting plot targeting an Aurora Hindu Temple worked alone on the planned attack, police said Thursday.
At a 10 a.m. news conference, police from Palatine and Mount Prospect, along with the Chicago FBI, said Alexandros Paporakis, 19, had apparently been planning the attack for some time, but as far as they can tell he was only working by himself.
Paporakis was arrested Sunday and 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 and "he got out of there 'super-fast'."
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. He then returned to Palatine.
Palatine police said video showed Paporakis appeared to be driving and that he was 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.
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.
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," but they are still trying to determine the significance of the October 11 date.
The manifesto 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. Police said Thursday they will not comment any further on the manifesto's content.
Police also said they do not plan to release the specific name of Hindu temple he targeted, saying only it was a "large, known" temple in Aurora. U.S. Rep. Raja Krisnmamoorthi, the Democrat representing Illinois' 2nd District, released a statement Thursday morning saying he and his family are worshippers at that temple, and were there at the time of the planned attack.
"I am horrified that a white supremacist attempted to carry out a mass shooting targeting Indian Americans at the Hindu temple in Aurora where my family worships. My family and I were there when the attack was attempted last Sunday. 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," he wrote in a statement. "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."
Court documents say Paporakis suffered from mental and emotional health issues and had been without prescribed medication. He was ordered detained while awaiting trial Wednesday.
