Justice · Temple threat case19-Year-Old Held Over Alleged Plot Against Hindu Worship Site Near AuroraAired October 15, 2026 at 4:32 AM UTCWritten October 15, 2026 at 4:35 AM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:07A coworker alerted police after receiving an alleged mass shooting manifesto.0:11A 19-year-old is now being held before trial.0:14Police accuse him of planning mass violence involving a Hindu place of worship and0:18say a weapon jammed when he tried to fire it.0:21How far the alleged plot went is still unresolved.0:24Police linked the possible target to the Aurora area.0:27The accused lives in Palatine and a Cook County judge ordered him detained at the0:30Rolling Meadows Courthouse.0:32Those locations mark different parts of the case.0:34The accused is Alexandros Paparakis, a 19-year-old from Palatine.0:38His name was initially given incorrectly as Alexandro Paparachis.0:41Paparakis faces felony allegations described as making a terrorist threat and0:46unlawfully possessing weapons.0:47Police allege Paparakis went to a Hindu temple, tried to fire a weapon, and fled0:52after it jammed.0:53Investigators have also described the worship site as a possible target.0:57Whether he attempted to fire at a temple hasn't been settled in court.1:00No temple has been publicly identified in these allegations.1:04The precise location and circumstances of the alleged malfunction are unclear.1:08It's also unclear whether any shots were fired or anyone was injured.1:12Police say Paparakis left the site and searched online for how to fix the1:15malfunction.1:16They say he then sent a manifesto to a coworker who contacted authorities.1:20Paparakis worked as a Taco Bell cashier.1:22Police arrested Paparakis outside his home on Sunday.1:26Palatine police are associated with the investigation, and Mount Prospect Police1:30also took part in the arrest.1:32The alleged target's location in the Aurora area is separate from where officers1:36took him into custody.1:37The alleged manifesto contains more than an unspecified threat.1:40Police accuse Paparakis of writing a document promoting white supremacist and1:45extremist ideas, including references to violence against people of South Asian1:49heritage, particularly people of Indian descent.1:52Police attribute the document to Paparakis.1:55Its title calls it an Aurora Shooter's Manifesto, but his authorship and its1:59connection to the alleged conduct still have to be tested in court.2:02The title itself doesn't show that a shooting occurred.2:05The accusations connect a possible religious target with references to ethnic2:09violence.2:09Those are concrete safety stakes for Hindu worshipers and South Asian communities.2:14Prosecutors still have to prove the criminal allegations.2:17Police say a search of his home recovered an AR-style rifle, a tactical vest, and2:21more than 300 rounds of ammunition.2:23They also describe a gas canister.2:26The canister's contents haven't been identified.2:28Other descriptions of the recovery include a rifle, loaded magazines, and body2:32armor.2:33The ammunition total and canister remain part of the police allegation.2:37The Public Defender's Office says the proceedings are at an early stage and2:40emphasizes that police and prosecutors' statements are allegations.2:44The Sunday arrest places that event on October 11th without fixing the date of the2:47alleged firing attempt.2:49The judge ordered pretrial detention October 14th.2:52Paparakis remains in custody while the case proceeds, and he's expected back in2:55court October 30th.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗