Illinois Man Arrested, Charged in Alleged Hindu Temple Mass Shooting Plot

He was arrested Sunday in Palatine, Illinois, after allegedly planning a mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Aurora.

Police recovered a rifle, loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, body armor, and Nazi symbols from his home. The alleged attack was thwarted when his AR-style rifle jammed on Sunday. Two co-workers he contacted about his plan alerted police. Prosecutors allege Paporakis told colleagues he couldn't wait to kill Indian people and that Sunday would be a special day.

Investigators found a manifesto titled "Why I Fought: A.K.A.: (Aurora Shooter's Manifesto)" attributed to Paporakis. The document expressed white supremacist and extremist ideologies, including hatred for non-white people and calls for violence against people of South Asian heritage, Jewish people, and Black people, describing them as subhumans. Prosecutors allege he spent months planning the attack, researching the intended location online and using Google Street View.

He worked as a Taco Bell cashier. The specific intended location of the attack has not been confirmed and remains under investigation, police said. India's Ministry of External Affairs flagged anti-Hindu hate and growing racist hostility in the US following the arrest. Paporakis has not entered a plea, and the allegations against him remain unproven in court. He was ordered held pending trial on October 14, with his next court appearance scheduled for October 30.