New York, October 15, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A 19-year-old man accused of planning a mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Illinois was arrested after his rifle allegedly jammed during an attempted attack, with authorities uncovering a cache of weapons, ammunition and extremist material at his home.
Alexandros Paporakis was arrested outside his residence in Palatine, about 60 km from Chicago, on Sunday after a co-worker alerted police. He appeared in court in Rolling Meadows on Wednesday and was charged with making a terrorist threat and unlawful possession of weapons. A judge remanded him to custody until October 30, when he is scheduled to appear in court again.
According to prosecutors, Paporakis told his co-worker that he had gone to a Hindu temple in Aurora, around 70 km from Chicago, on Saturday and attempted to open fire. The rifle allegedly failed to discharge when he pulled the trigger, forcing him to flee.
The co-worker contacted police in Mount Prospect, who passed the information to Palatine authorities. Prosecutors said Paporakis had sent the co-worker a message asking for a phone call on Sunday, during which he allegedly described the attempted attack. He also sent a photograph of himself wearing a tactical vest and an eight-page document titled “Why I Fought: A.K.A.: (Aurora Shooter’s Manifesto)”.
Court documents described the document as containing racist attacks against people of Indian descent and Hindus, along with threats of violence against other minority communities. Prosecutors alleged that Paporakis had been planning the attack for two years and had described himself as a white supremacist and neo-Nazi.
A search of his residence yielded a rifle, loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and body armour bearing designs associated with white supremacist extremism, Palatine Police Chief William Nord said.
“The seriousness of this alleged threat cannot be overstated,” Nord said, adding that the writings referred to extremist ideologies, mass killings and plans for a shooting.
Authorities said Paporakis’s writings also expressed hatred towards Jewish people, African Americans and other non-white groups. Police worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to access his electronic devices and communications.
Aurora has three Hindu temples, and police have notified temples in the area about the threat. Prosecutors also cited concerns about Paporakis’s behaviour, with his co-worker telling police he had acted manically over the weekend.
Authorities said he lived with his mother, who had been unable to prevent him from purchasing a weapon. The allegations are part of the ongoing criminal proceedings against him.
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