“[Statement:] I am horrified that a white supremacist attempted to carry out a mass shooting targeting Indian Americans at the Hindu temple in Aurora where my family worships. My family and I were there when the attack was attempted last Sunday. … The threat of such violence shows how dangerous anti-Indian hatred and white supremacy have become … we cannot wait until innocent people are killed to take these threats seriously. … Every American deserves to live and worship without fear.
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Aurora Hindu Temple Shooting Plot: Lawmakers React
A 19-Year-Old Neo-Nazi's Rifle Jams Outside the Hindu Temple in Aurora, Illinois, Where Raja Krishnamoorthi's Family Was Worshipping — Krishnamoorthi Says "the Trump Administration Is Fanning the Flames" of Anti-Indian Hate, and Ro Khanna Says "His Evil Is Only Surpassed by His Ignorance"
October 15, 2026
On Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, prosecutors say, 19-year-old Alexandros Paporakis of Palatine, Illinois, drove to the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora intending to open fire, but his AR-style rifle jammed and he drove home, texting a co-worker that he would "retry when I fix this." Co-workers called police, and he was arrested that day. Prosecutors say an eight-page manifesto called non-white people "subhumans" and singled out people of Indian descent, that he had planned a mass shooting for two years and had targeted the temple for two months, and that a search of his apartment turned up a rifle, 300 rounds of ammunition, a gas can and Nazi materials. He is charged with making a terrorist threat and unlawful possession of a short-barreled rifle and was ordered detained; police say he acted alone. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, whose family worships at the temple, said he and his family were there when the attack was attempted, warned that anti-Indian hatred and white supremacy "have become" dangerous, and said the Trump administration "is fanning the flames." Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Ro Khanna also condemned the plot.
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Statements Recorded
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4 Statements
“[To the Chicago Sun-Times:] This hateful rhetoric has exploded online. It's on social media everywhere. … This hateful rhetoric is now being translated into violence, and the Trump administration is fanning the flames. … The flames of hateful rhetoric combined with the proliferation of firearms means that we're going to have potential attacks … And if we don't act, it's going to be too late, and there's going to be a lot more violence.
“I am incredibly grateful that local law enforcement thwarted this attempted mass shooting by a white supremacist
“[In a video posted on X, on the suspect:] His evil is only surpassed by his ignorance. … This kind of hate crime has no place in our society.