Teen charged over alleged plot to attack Indians at Aurora’s Balaji temple

A 19-year-old man from the Chicago suburb of Palatine has been charged with making a terrorist threat after police and prosecutors accused him of planning to open fire on Indian worshippers at the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora, Illinois, on Sunday, 11 October. Police say a vehicle registered to the accused entered the temple’s car park that afternoon; prosecutors allege he later told a co-worker that his rifle had jammed. No one was hurt.

Alexandros Paporakis was arrested outside his Palatine home on the evening of 11 October. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s office has charged him with making a terrorist threat, a Class X felony, and with unlawfully possessing a rifle whose barrel is shorter than 16 inches, a Class 3 felony. At a hearing on Wednesday, 14 October, a judge ordered that he remain in custody pending trial. He is due back in court on 30 October.

The Cook County Public Defender’s office has said the case is at its earliest stage and that the statements made by police and prosecutors are only allegations.

What police allege

Palatine Police Chief Bill Nord gave a timeline of the vehicle’s visit. “He entered the parking lot at approximately 12:25 p.m. and exited the parking lot at 12:38 p.m.,” Nord said. The temple was busy that day, which marked the start of Navratri.

The alarm was raised by co-workers at the Taco Bell restaurant where Paporakis worked, who contacted police. According to prosecutors, he had talked openly at work about white-supremacist beliefs and hostility towards people from India.

Officers who searched his home say they recovered an AR-style rifle with no serial number, loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a tactical vest with body armour and a patch carrying white-supremacist imagery. With help from the FBI’s Chicago Field Office, detectives examined an eight-page document attributed to him which, police said, contained white-supremacist statements and references to violence against South Asians, particularly people of Indian origin. Police believe he acted alone and say there is no known ongoing threat to the public. The FBI is reviewing the evidence to decide whether federal charges are warranted.

Temple tightens security

In a statement on 15 October, temple leaders confirmed that the threat had been directed at their temple. They said the safety of devotees, staff and volunteers was their highest priority and announced extra security, including armed guards, with immediate effect. Aurora police had already contacted Hindu places of worship in the city, and Mayor John Laesch said patrols had been increased.

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, whose family worships at the temple and who was there that Sunday, said the case showed how dangerous anti-Indian hatred and white supremacy had become, and urged the FBI to pursue it as a hate crime. “Every American deserves to live and worship without fear,” he said.

A familiar temple for Telugu families

Dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, the presiding deity of Tirumala, the Aurora temple has for decades served Indian-American families across the Chicago area, among them many Telugu households. Telugu associations have held Bathukamma and Dasara celebrations on its grounds in past years. The allegations came to light in the middle of the festival season, days before Vijayadashami on 20 October.

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