Tip from Co-Worker Foils Alleged Mass Shooting Plot at Hindu Temple in Aurora, Illinois
A 19-year-old from Palatine, Illinois, was charged after authorities said he drove to a Hindu temple in Aurora with a rifle that jammed. A co-worker at a Taco Bell alerted police after receiving a message about the plan. Police recovered a rifle, ammunition and writings expressing white-supremacist views.
Aurora, Illinois1 min read
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A tip from a co-worker stopped an alleged attempt by a 19-year-old to carry out a mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois, on 12 October 2026, according to police and prosecutors.
Alexandros Paporakis of Palatine appeared in court charged with making a terrorist threat and unlawful possession of a weapon. Investigators said he sent a message to a colleague at a Taco Bell in Arlington Heights describing the plan. The colleague contacted authorities.
Police said a red Honda RDX registered to Paporakis entered the car park of a known Hindu temple in Aurora around lunchtime on Sunday. He allegedly tried to fire an AR-style rifle, but the weapon jammed. He then left the area.
Evidence recovered
Officers later searched the home where Paporakis lived with his mother. They reported finding a rifle, loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and body armour. They also recovered an eight-page document in which the suspect described himself as a “sociopathic white supremacist neo-Nazi” and expressed hostility toward non-white people, including Indians, Jewish people and African-Americans.
Prosecutors said Paporakis had planned the attack for years and had focused on the Aurora temple for about two months. Palatine Police Chief Bill Nord described the outcome as fortunate and credited the single tipster with preventing a larger incident.
The temple identified in local reports said it had increased security measures after the event. Authorities indicated that Paporakis acted alone. His mother was questioned and was described as uncooperative.
The case is proceeding in local courts. No injuries were reported at the temple. The jammed firearm and the rapid response to the tip limited the incident to an attempted attack rather than a completed one.
Federal and state agencies continue to review the writings and digital messages for any indication of additional planning or contacts. The incident has drawn attention from Indian-American community organisations that have monitored a series of threats against Hindu temples in the United States.
