A man has been arrested after an investigation into threats of a potential mass shooting that could have targeted a Hindu temple near Chicago.
Alexandros Paporakis, 19, from Palatine, Illinois, appeared in court on Wednesday. He was charged with one count of making a terrorist threat and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon for possessing a rifle with a barrel less than 16in long, the BBC’s US partner CBS reports.
Police said they found a manifesto in which Paporakis identified as a white supremacist and wrote about his hatred for non-white people.
Prosecutors said the defendant told a colleague on the phone that his gun jammed and sent messages showing an AR-style rifle, CBS reports.
Other messages showed how the gun failed to fire when he pulled the trigger, and a photo of himself in a tactical vest, according to prosecutors.
This colleague and another coworker from the Taco Bell where Paporakis worked called police on Sunday to report the incident.
Palatine Police Chief William Nord said that officers “recovered a rifle, they recovered loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of rifle ammunition, as well as body armour,” while searching Paporakis’ home.
Officers and the FBI were also able to examine Paporakis’ electronics and electronic communications, where they said they found the manifesto.
“Reading through the manifesto, he did state some extremist ideologies and talked about violence, he talked about mass killings and how he wanted to carry out this mass shooting,” Nord said, according to CBS.
Prosecutors allege that Paporakis’ colleague told police the defendant had spoken about being a white supremacist while at work, and made disparaging comments about people of other races.
Prosecutors said that on Saturday, Paporakis told a worker he was planning “it” at a Hindu temple in Aurora, and said Sunday “was going to be a special day”, before calling and sending the messages to his colleague the next day.
Police said that a specific intended location in the alleged threats has not been confirmed, and the investigation remains open.
Local Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said he was “horrified” by the incident. In a statement posted on Facebook, he said: “Every American deserves to live and worship without fear, and we must stand together against hatred in all its forms.”
