Man charged in alleged plot potentially targeting Hindu place of worship in Illinois
"The seriousness of this alleged threat cannot be overstated," police said.
A 19-year-old Illinois man has been charged after an investigation into an alleged plan to carry out a mass shooting that may have targeted a Hindu place of worship in the Aurora area, police said.
Alexandros Paporakis of Palatine was arrested Sunday after the Palatine Police Department received information from the Mount Prospect Police Department about a potential mass shooting, according to a statement from Palatine police.
The information came from an individual who reported receiving "concerning electronic communications" from Paporakis, police said.
Authorities said Paporakis had shared a document allegedly outlining a plan for a mass shooting, along with images depicting a rifle, rifle magazines, body armor and other tactical equipment.
Officers from the Palatine and Mount Prospect police departments coordinated a response and took Paporakis into custody as he was leaving his residence in Palatine on Sunday evening, police said.
Authorities said they recovered a rifle, multiple loaded rifle magazines, hundreds of additional rounds of rifle ammunition, tactical equipment and other items during a search of his home after his arrest.
Investigators said that they also recovered a tactical vest containing body armor and a patch displaying imagery associated with white supremacist extremism.
In the days following his arrest, detectives reviewed electronic communications and examined a document attributed to Paporakis titled, "Why I Fought: A.K.A.: (Aurora Shooter's Manifesto)," which contained statements expressing white supremacist and extremist ideologies, including references to violence against people of South Asian heritage, particularly those of Indian descent, police said.
Based on information gathered during the investigation, detectives said they believe Paporakis may have been planning an attack on Oct. 11 that potentially targeted a Hindu place of worship in the Aurora area, though police said the specific intended location has not been confirmed and remained under investigation.
The Aurora Police Department was notified of the potential threat by Palatine and Mount Prospect police. Aurora police subsequently contacted Hindu places of worship in their jurisdiction to make them aware of the information, authorities said.
"The seriousness of this alleged threat cannot be overstated," Palatine Police Chief William Nord said in a statement, crediting the coordinated response by Palatine and Mount Prospect police with helping officers identify and take the suspect into custody. He also thanked the person who initially reported the information and the FBI for its assistance.
Paporakis has been charged with one count of making a terrorist threat, a class X felony, and one count of unlawful possession of a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches, a class 3 felony, police said.
Paporakis appeared at a detention hearing Wednesday at the Cook County Third Municipal District Courthouse in Rolling Meadows, where a judge ordered him detained.
"The FBI aggressively works alongside our local and state law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and dismantle any threats of violence driven by radical ideologies," FBI Chicago Special Agent in Charge Ryan Whalen said following the charging announcement by the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.
"Thanks to the swift action by the Palatine and Mount Prospect Police Departments, the subject was taken into custody without harm to our community," Whalen continued. "The FBI values these strong partnerships and will continue to use every law enforcement and prosecutorial resource available to bring any offender using fear or violence to justice."
Palatine police said that they are continuing to work closely with the FBI and that investigation remains active. Additionally, authorities have not identified any known ongoing threat to the public associated with this incident.
Paporakis’s next court appearance is set for Oct. 30 at 9 a.m. ET.
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