A teenager arrested in a Chicago suburb allegedly shared a document espousing white supremacist views and laid out a plan for a mass shooting that could have targeted a Hindu place of worship, Illinois police said. The 19-year-old, Alexandros Paporakis, of Palatine, was taken into custody on Sunday after another person reported receiving worrying electronic messages from him, Palatine police said on Wednesday.
It remained unclear whether Paporakis had legal counsel. Police said the FBI is assisting with the investigation.
Rifle, vest and manifesto found at Palatine home
Detectives who searched Paporakis’s home recovered a rifle, several loaded magazines and hundreds of additional rounds of rifle ammunition. Police said a tactical vest containing body armour was also found, along with a patch displaying imagery linked to white supremacist extremism.
Prosecutors from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office said a coworker told police that Paporakis openly described himself as a white supremacist at work and said he “couldn’t wait” to kill Indian people. Investigators also recovered a document titled “Why I fought: A.K.A.: (Aurora Shooter’s Manifesto)”, which expressed white supremacist and extremist ideas and referred to violence against South Asians, specifically Indians.
Charges, court dates and rising hate against South Asians
Authorities believed the attack was planned for Sunday and may have been aimed at a Hindu temple in Aurora, 40 miles (65km) southwest of Palatine. Police stressed that the specific intended location has not been confirmed and remains under investigation.
Paporakis faces felony charges of “making a terrorist threat” and possessing an unlawful weapon, police said. He appeared for a detention hearing on Wednesday, and his next court appearance is scheduled for the end of October.
Human rights advocates said hate against South Asians has increased in the United States in recent years, which they linked to tougher anti-immigration policies and a growth in white supremacist ideology.
