Washington, October 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Nearly a week after police foiled an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois, FBI Director Kash Patel, Second Lady Usha Vance and Vice President JD Vance had not publicly commented on the incident through their official social media accounts, as lawmakers and Hindu advocacy groups called for action.
A review of Patel’s official and personal X accounts, @FBIDirectorKash and @Kash_Patel, the FBI’s website, and the accounts @SLOTUS, @VP and @JDVance found no public post or statement about the alleged plot as of the evening of October 17.
The FBI’s Chicago field office issued the bureau’s public statement on October 14, announcing the arrest of 19-year-old Alexandros Paporakis of Palatine and crediting the Palatine and Mount Prospect police departments.
“The FBI aggressively works alongside our local and state law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and dismantle any threats of violence driven by radical ideologies,” Special Agent in Charge Ryan Whalen said.
Earlier, Patel’s office had said that information would be released as appropriate because the investigation was ongoing.
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The Hindu American Foundation questioned Vice President Vance’s silence in a post on X on October 16.
“With all due respect, Mr. @VP, why have you remained silent? Are you afraid to speak up for Hindu Americans whose safety is now at stake?” the organisation wrote.
“Given your wife’s Hindu heritage, we hope you will publicly condemn this hatred and reaffirm that every American deserves to worship without fear,” it added.
On the same day, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, who said his family had been at the temple on October 11 for the start of Navratri, called on Patel to protect the American public against domestic violent extremism.
“Hate toward minorities is not new in America; however, the explosive growth in hate toward Indian Americans is astonishing,” Krishnamoorthi said.
Patel was also among the recipients of an October 16 letter from India Caucus co-chairs Rich McCormick and Ro Khanna seeking a federal hate-crime investigation into the incident.
Paporakis faces one count of making a terrorist threat and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon in Cook County Circuit Court. No federal charges have been filed, according to CBS Chicago.
Police said his car entered the temple parking lot on October 11 and left 13 minutes later. According to the FBI, Paporakis told a co-worker that his gun had jammed.
Usha Vance’s last post on her @SLOTUS account was on October 6, while Patel’s official account continued to carry updates about other FBI cases throughout the week.
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