Nineteen-year-old Alexandros Paporakis, a cashier at Taco Bell from Palatine, Illinois, allegedly told one of his co-workers that Sunday was going to be “a special day.” Later on Sunday, he was arrested by police on the suspicion that he may have planned to target a Hindu temple in the Aurora area.
Prosecutors said Paporakis called one coworker earlier in the day Sunday, saying that his gun had jammed and he left “super fast” without being seen, the Associated Press reported. The situation indicates a narrow escape for several devotees who may have been inside the temple when Paporakis’ gun malfunctioned.
He was arrested later that day after two of his co-workers tipped off the cops and was arrested before any mishap happened.
Prosecutors alleged he spent months planning the attack, researching the location online and writing an eight-page manifesto calling for violence against multiple racial and religious groups.
Paporakis had allegedly shared with his co-workers a document outlining an alleged plan to carry out a mass shooting and photos of tactical gear. They said Paporakis openly identified as a white supremacist at work and told them he couldn’t wait to kill Indian people, prosecutors from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office were quoted as saying in an AP report.
“The seriousness of this alleged threat cannot be overstated,” Palatine Police Chief William Nord was quoted as saying, adding that protecting places of worship is a law enforcement priority.
Manifesto that described Indians as ‘subhumans’
Prosecutors allege Paporakis sent the coworker an eight-page document titled, “Why I fought: A.K.A. (Aurora Shooter’s Manifesto),” which described Indian, Jewish and African American people as “subhumans” and outlined a plot to kill as many of them as possible, according to a court document cited by The Associated Press.
When he turned up at the temple, it was filled with people while he was planning to “kill a significant number of Indians,” NBC Chicago quoted a police official as saying.
Also read: How US teen’s Hindu temple attack plot was foiled: Rifle jam, online search, call to co-worker
Paporakis was fully armed. He was carrying a modified AR-style rifle and 300 rounds of ammo, enough to fill ten magazines for reloading, along with body armor, gasoline cans and an assortment of swastikas, the report added, citing newly filed court record.
Paporakis allegedly described himself in the manifesto as “a sociopathic white supremacist Neo Nazi filled with hatred, fantasizing about mass murder nearly every day.”
Paporakis was arrested on October 11 and is charged with making a terrorist threat, a Class X felony, and unlawfully possessing a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches, a Class 3 felony. He has not entered a plea, and the allegations remain unproven in court. A judge ordered him held pending trial on October 14. His next court appearance is scheduled for October 30.