Foiled Attack on Hindu Temple in America
New York, October 15: A plot to carry out a shooting at a Hindu temple in the United States was thwarted when the suspect was arrested before executing the attack. Authorities reported that the assailant’s rifle jammed just before he could fire.
The 19-year-old suspect identified himself as a ‘white supremacist neo-Nazi’ and was presented in a local court on Wednesday. He faces charges of making terrorist threats and illegal possession of firearms.
According to officials, the suspect had informed a coworker that he intended to visit a Hindu temple in Aurora, located about 70 kilometers from Chicago, to carry out the shooting. However, when he pulled the trigger, the rifle failed to fire due to a jam.
Aurora is home to three Hindu temples, and police have alerted the local temples about the threat. The suspect, Alexandros Paporekis, was arrested outside his home in Palatine, approximately 60 kilometers from Chicago. This information was provided to the police by a coworker from a fast-food restaurant.
He was presented in the Rolling Meadows County Court, where the judge ordered him to remain in judicial custody until October 30, the date of his next court appearance.
Palatine Police Chief William Nord stated that a search of the suspect’s home revealed a rifle, loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and body armor. The recovered body armor was reportedly adorned with symbols and designs associated with white supremacist extremism.
Nord emphasized, “The seriousness of this alleged threat cannot be understated.”
Prosecutors noted that on Sunday, the suspect had sent a text message to his coworker asking him to call. During the phone conversation, he allegedly confessed to attempting a mass shooting but fled when the rifle did not fire.
The coworker, whose identity has not been disclosed, reported the incident to the Mount Prospect police, which later informed the Palatine police. The suspect also sent a photo to his coworker showing him wearing tactical gear, along with an eight-page document.
Court documents revealed that this so-called ‘manifesto’ contained racist and hateful remarks against people of Indian origin and Hindu temples. Prosecutors stated that he expressed a desire to die after killing as many minorities as possible.
According to court documents, Paporekis had been planning this attack for the past two years.
The Indian Embassy in New York acknowledged awareness of the foiled attempt to target a place of worship in Aurora. They commended the timely actions taken by law enforcement agencies and stated they are in contact with the Indian community while closely monitoring the situation.
