A 19-year-old man was ordered detained by a Cook County judge Wednesday, accused of plotting a mass shooting at a Hindu place of worship in the Aurora area last weekend, according to Palatine police.
In a manifesto, Alexandros Paporakis, 19, of Palatine, wrote statements expressing white supremacist and extremist ideologies, including references to violence being committed against people of South Asian heritage, particularly those of Indian descent, according to police.
Detectives said they believe Paporakis may have been planning to carry out an attack Sunday, potentially targeting a Hindu place of worship in the Aurora area, Palatine Police Chief William Nord said in a statement.
Paporakis was charged with making a terrorist threat, which is a Class X felony, and unlawful possession of weapons including a rifle with a barrel less than 16 inches in length, also a felony, according to Nord. Paporakis was ordered detained by a judge at the Rolling Meadows courthouse and is due back in court Oct. 30.
On Sunday shortly after 3:30 p.m., Palatine police were contacted by Mount Prospect police about a potential mass shooting being planned, Nord said in a statement, adding the information came from someone who reported receiving “concerning” electronic communications from Paporakis.
According to investigators, Paporakis had shared a document outlining an alleged plan to carry out a mass shooting. He also shared images depicting a rifle, rifle magazines, body armor and other tactical equipment and accessories, Nord said in the statement.
Paporakis was located and taken into custody as he was leaving his residence in the 1300 block of North Baldwin Court Sunday night.
When detectives executed a search warrant at Paporakis’ residence, they found a rifle, multiple loaded rifle magazines, hundreds of rounds of additional rifle ammunition, tactical equipment and other items believed to be relevant to the investigation, according to Nord. Among the recovered items was a tactical vest containing body armor and a patch displaying imagery associated with white supremacist extremism.
Over the following days with the help of the FBI, police examined electronic communications and a self-titled document attributed to Paporakis, “Why I Fought: A.K.A.: (Aurora Shooter’s Manifesto),” which contained statements expressing white supremacist and extremist ideologies, including references to violence directed toward individuals of South Asian heritage, particularly those of Indian descent, Nord said in the statement.
Based on information developed during the investigation, detectives said they believe Paporakis may have been planning to carry out an attack on Sunday, but a specific intended location has not been confirmed and remains under investigation.
The Aurora Police Department also was notified of the potential threat and coordinated outreach to Hindu places of worship in its jurisdiction to make them aware of the situation, Nord said in the statement.
Anyone with information related to this investigation is encouraged to contact the Palatine Police Department at 847-359-9000.