Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi was worshipping at his family’s Hindu temple on Sunday when a man who reportedly espoused white supremacist beliefs attempted to carry out a mass shooting, the lawmaker said in a statement on Thursday.
“I’m grateful to those who helped prevent a tragedy, but we must come together to confront the hatred that put so many innocent lives at risk,” the Illinois Democrat said.
“The threat of such violence shows how dangerous anti-Indian hatred and white supremacy have become, and we cannot wait until innocent people are killed to take these threats seriously,” he wrote.
Authorities arrested 19-year-old Alexandros Paporakis of Palatine on Sunday in connection with the incident, charging him with felonies including making a terrorist threat and unlawful possession of a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches, Palatine Police Chief William Nord said at a news conference Thursday. A judge ordered Paporakis to be detained on Wednesday, and his next court appearance is set for Oct. 30.
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Officials believe Paporakis acted alone.
According to police, the suspect’s car was spotted entering the Aurora temple’s parking lot on Sunday around 12:12 p.m. and then exiting around 12:38 p.m.
Paporakis allegedly told a co-worker his rifle jammed after he went in to carry out the attack, and he shared plans for a second attack, Krishnamoorthi said in a statement, citing police information.
The co-worker then alerted police, and Paporakis was arrested as he returned to Palatine, which is 40 miles north of Aurora.
While searching his residence, officials found a rifle, loaded rifle magazines, hundreds of rounds of rifle ammunition, body armor and other tactical equipment.
Authorities also recovered an eight-page manifesto. Nord declined to provide additional information about the manifesto, which he said consisted of words and photographs, except to note that nothing in it pointed to why Paporakis considered carrying out a mass shooting. Nord said the suspect’s mother has been questioned as part of the investigation but was not cooperating with police.
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