Man charged in alleged plot that targeted a 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 with felony crimes for an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting at 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 an imminent potential mass shooting, police said at a news conference on Thursday.
The information came from an individual who reported receiving "concerning electronic communications" from Paporakis, police said.
"I think we were very fortunate that something much much worse didn't happen," Palatine Police Chief William Nord said during the news conference, praising the individual who came forward with information about Paporakis' alleged plans. "The communications given that day necessitated an immediate response."
Nord revealed on Thursday that investigators identified a red Honda RDX registered to Paporakis entering the parking lot of a "known Hindu temple" in Aurora at 12:25 p.m. local time on Sunday and exiting the parking lot about 13 minutes later. Nord did not identify the temple.
"At the time, it appeared that the offender was driving the vehicle and was alone in the vehicle," Nord said.
After leaving the temple parking lot, the suspect drove to his home in Palatine, where he lived with his mother.
Nord said Paporakis was arrested at his home, where investigators served a search warrant.
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. Investigators said they also recovered a tactical vest containing body armor and a patch displaying imagery associated with white supremacist extremism.
Paporakis' mother was contacted by investigators but has declined to cooperate in the investigation, according to Nord. The mother has not been charged with any crime connected to the mass shooting plot.
He said investigators are also working to determine where and how Paporakis obtained the rifle and ammunition found at his home.
"Our investigation has revealed that, and confirmed as of right now, that he has been alone in this planning," Nord said. "We're still trying to determine why the October date was significant for him."
Officers from the Palatine and Mount Prospect police departments coordinated a response and took Paporakis into custody as he was leaving his residence on Sunday evening, police said.
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.
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," Nord said in an earlier statement. 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. He 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," Ryan Whalen, the FBI Chicago special agent in charge, said.
"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."
Paporakis' next court appearance is set for Oct. 30 at 9 a.m. ET.
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