Teen Planned Temple Attack For 2 Years, Wanted To 'Retry': Prosecutors

PALATINE, IL — A Palatine teenager accused of plotting a mass shooting at an Aurora Hindu temple spent two years planning an attack and two months focused on the specific location, according to court records obtained by Patch.

After his rifle failed to fire Sunday, Alexandros Paporakis, 19, discussed repairing the weapon so he could "retry when I fix this," prosecutors alleged in a written account filed with their petition seeking his pretrial detention.

The Oct. 14 filing details communications with coworkers, an eight-page manifesto expressing white supremacist and neo-Nazi beliefs, and weapons and ammunition recovered from his apartment.

Paporakis faces one count of making a terrorist threat, a Class X felony, and one count of unlawfully possessing a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches, a Class 3 felony. A judge ordered him detained Wednesday in Rolling Meadows.

Coworkers Described Escalating Threats

Paporakis had worked for approximately seven months as a cashier at a Taco Bell on East Rand Road in Arlington Heights, according to the prosecution's filing.

Coworkers told investigators he openly identified as a white supremacist, regularly made disparaging remarks about people of other races, particularly people from India, and frequently discussed Nazis and armed struggle.

One coworker reported seeing him reading or writing a manifesto on his phone at work. His rhetoric intensified in the days before Oct. 11, prosecutors alleged.

While working Saturday, Paporakis told a coworker he could not wait to kill Indian people and discussed targeting the largest Hindu temple in Aurora with a large amount of ammunition, according to the filing. He told another coworker Sunday would be a special day, the filing alleges.

Around 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Paporakis texted a coworker asking for a phone call. During their conversation, he allegedly said his gun had jammed and he had left quickly, according to court documents.

He subsequently sent the coworker a video showing an AR-style rifle failing to fire when its trigger was pulled, along with a photograph of himself wearing a tactical vest, prosecutors wrote.

In messages, he allegedly described attempting to fire from inside his vehicle, discussed possible fixes and said the man he had tried to shoot was "certainly saved by his God today."

Filing Describes Racist Manifesto

Prosecutors said Paporakis also sent the coworker an eight-page manifesto expressing hatred toward people of Indian ancestry, Jewish people and Black people, and outlining intentions to kill as many as possible.

The document described obtaining and modifying an AR-style rifle and studying the intended target through YouTube and Google Street View, according to the filing.

In the writings, Paporakis described himself as "a sociopathic white supremacist Neo-Nazi filled with hatred," prosecutors alleged.

The coworker and another employee called 911. Officers subsequently located Paporakis near his apartment in the 1300 block of North Baldwin Court.

A search of his bedroom recovered an AR-style rifle without a serial number, a tactical vest, eight loaded magazines, one loaded extended magazine, 300 rounds of rifle ammunition and items depicting Nazi symbolism, according to prosecutors.

Police Continue To Examine Allegations

As Patch previously reported, investigators traced Paporakis' SUV to an Aurora temple parking lot for approximately 13 minutes Sunday.

At Thursday's news conference, Palatine police said they had not independently confirmed whether the rifle malfunctioned or where the video showing a possible malfunction was recorded. The court filing presents prosecutors' allegations based on witness accounts and communications.

Separately, NBC Chicago reported that the judge entered a jail health care order noting Paporakis receives hormone injections for gender transition and treatment for ADHD, depression and anxiety. The four-page detention filing reviewed by Patch does not address that treatment. NBC also reported that his public defender emphasized the allegations could change as the investigation continues.

At a Friday news conference condemning the alleged attack, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi said he and his family were worshipping at Aurora's Balaji Temple that Sunday. He called for the FBI to investigate the alleged plot as a hate crime.

Paporakis’ next court appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. Oct. 30, in Rolling Meadows.

Past Coverage:

• Rifle Jammed As Teen ‘Was Waiting To Commit A Massacre’ At Hindu Temple: Krishnamoorthi
• Mass Shooting Plot At Hindu Temple Thwarted After Coworker Warns Police: FBI