Palatine Man Arrested Over Alleged Plot Targeting Aurora Hindu Temple

Palatine police arrested 19-year-old Alexandros Paporakis outside his home on North Baldwin Court on Sunday evening after receiving a tip about a possible mass shooting. The investigation, coordinated with Mount Prospect police and the FBI, uncovered a rifle, loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a tactical vest with body armor and a patch linked to white-supremacist symbolism.

"They recovered a rifle, they recovered loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of rifle ammunition as well as a body armor," said Palatine Police Chief William Nord.

Electronic analysis revealed a manifesto in which Paporakis identified as a white supremacist and expressed hostility toward non-white groups, including Jewish people, African Americans and Indians. Prosecutors said he discussed the plan with coworkers at his job, mentioning the largest Hindu temple in Aurora as a potential target and indicating that a specific date was being considered.

"Reading through the manifesto, he did state some extremist ideologies and talked about violence, he talked about mass killings and how he wanted to carry out this mass shooting," Nord added.

Paporakis faces one count of making a terrorist threat and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon with a barrel shorter than 16 inches, both felonies. He was ordered detained pending trial. Authorities continue to investigate the exact intended location, and Aurora police have alerted local Hindu places of worship.