Police Arrest American Teen Over Mass Shooting Plot at Hindu Temple in Illinois

Coworker Alerts Police After Receiving Disturbing Messages From 19-Year-Old Suspect

A teenager arrested in suburban Chicago shared a document expressing white supremacist views and a plan to carry out a mass shooting, possibly targeting a Hindu religious site, police in Illinois said.

Alexandros Papourakis, 19, of Palatine, was arrested Sunday after a person reported receiving electronic communications from him, Palatine police said Wednesday. It was not immediately clear if he had legal representation.

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Ending the list, detectives searched Papourakis' home and found a rifle, several loaded rifle magazines, and hundreds of other rifle rounds.

"Among the items recovered was a tactical vest containing body armor and a patch displaying images associated with white extremism," a police statement said.

Papourakis' co-worker told police that he openly presented himself as a white supremacist at work and said he "couldn't wait" to kill Indian people, according to a Cook County District Attorney's Office prosecutor's report.

Detectives found a document called "Why I Fought: A.K.A.: (The Aurora Shooter's Manifesto)" that contained sentiments of white supremacist and extremist ideologies, references to violence against South Asians, particularly Indians.

Authorities believed Papourakis planned to carry out his attack on Sunday, possibly targeting a Hindu temple in Aurora, 40 miles (65 km) southwest of Palatine.

"However, the target location has not been confirmed and remains under investigation," police said. He added that the FBI is assisting in the investigation.

Papourakis faces felony charges of "terroristic threat" and illegal possession of a weapon, police said.

The suspect appeared in the detention hearing on Wednesday and his next court appearance is scheduled to be held by the end of October.

Human rights advocates say that hatred of South Asians has increased in the United States in recent years due to the rise of anti-immigration policies and the rise of white supremacist ideology.