Police say a red Acura RDX registered to Alexandros Paporakis, the 19-year-old accused of plotting a mass shooting at a Chicago-area Hindu temple, entered the temple’s parking lot on Sunday and left less than 15 minutes later, according to NBC News. The detail is part of the police account of events leading up to Paporakis’ arrest near his Palatine home that same afternoon, though it has not been tested in court.
Paporakis faces one count of making a terrorist threat and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon tied to a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches, both felonies, according to CNN. He has not entered a plea, and the Cook County Public Defender’s office, which represents him, has cautioned that the case remains in its early stages.
The Latest: Vehicle Placed At The Temple
According to police, the Acura registered to Paporakis entered the parking lot of the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora around 12:25 p.m. Sunday and departed within 15 minutes, NBC News reported. The temple sits roughly 40 miles west of downtown Chicago, while Paporakis’ home in Palatine is about 40 miles to the northeast.
Police said they later spotted Paporakis alone inside his car around 2 p.m. near his Palatine home, where officers arrested him that afternoon after receiving a tip about an alleged attack plan, NBC News reported.
Case Background
Prosecutors allege Paporakis worked as a cashier at a Taco Bell, where co-workers called 911 after he made statements about his alleged plans, according to NBC News. Prosecutors say he told co-workers he “couldn’t wait to kill Indian people” and separately told a co-worker that Sunday was going to be a “special day.”
Prosecutors allege Paporakis sent a co-worker an eight-page document titled “Why I fought: A.K.A. (Aurora Shooter’s Manifesto),” according to CNN. Police said prosecutors allege the document included self-identification as a white supremacist and writings expressing hatred for non-white people, CBS News reported.
Prosecutors said Paporakis told a co-worker early Sunday afternoon that his gun had jammed and that he left the scene “super-fast,” according to CBS News. He is also accused of sending Signal messages to a co-worker showing an AR-style rifle, the weapon failing to fire when he pulled the trigger, and a photo of himself wearing a tactical vest.
A search of Paporakis’ home turned up an AR-style rifle without a serial number, loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a gas canister labeled with a slur referring to South Asians, a tactical vest and a patch depicting Nazi symbolism, according to NBC News. Police said the largest Hindu temple in Aurora was the alleged target, though the exact intended location remains under investigation.
The temple was in the middle of Navratri, a nine-day Hindu festival, when the alleged plot unfolded. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who was at the temple that day, said he was unaware of the alleged threat at the time and described the temple community as “really shaken up,” according to NBC News.
What Officials And The Defense Have Said
A judge has ordered Paporakis held in jail pending trial, CNN reported. The Cook County Public Defender’s office issued a statement urging caution about the allegations: “This case is in the earliest stage of what will likely be a lengthy process. We would remind the public that statements made by police and prosecutors are only allegations and that cases can change significantly as they continue to be investigated.”
Paporakis has not been convicted of any crime, and the allegations detailed by police and prosecutors remain unproven in court.
What’s Next
Paporakis is next scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 30, according to CNN. No plea has been reported, and further details about the investigation, including the exact intended target, remain pending as the case proceeds.
For related coverage of recent attack-plot cases, see Total Apex Entertainment’s reporting on the Aubagne school shooting detention and the Poland school attack detentions. For other ongoing criminal cases, read about the Eric Lewis homicide charge and the Matthew Farwell trial.
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