US police say a 19-year-old Taco Bell cashier’s alleged plan to shoot up a Hindu temple near Chicago was stopped after a colleague alerted authorities. Investigators say his gun jammed and he was later charged in court.
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01Summary
- 01Alexandros Paporakis, 19, from Palatine, Illinois, appeared in court on Wednesday charged with making a terrorist threat and unlawful possession of a weapon.
- 02Police said a co-worker reported receiving concerning electronic communications from Paporakis on Sunday, prompting the alert to authorities.
- 03Investigators said Paporakis drove a red Honda RDX to a known Hindu temple in Aurora on Sunday lunchtime, but his gun jammed and he left.
- 04Officers searching his home found a rifle, loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, body armour and an eight-page document setting out extremist views and plans.
- 05Police said writings recovered from the suspect identified him as a white supremacist and included hatred towards non-white people.
02Why it matters
The case has raised fears about the targeting of a place of worship and the role of racist extremism in the US. It also matters because the alleged attack was reportedly stopped by a tip-off before people were harmed.
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