NEWS FLASH
CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)— Police in the northwest suburbs say they stopped a mass shooting before it happened.
Alexandros Paporakis, 19, a Taco Bell cashier from Palatine, was arrested Sunday afternoon as he left his home — the same day detectives believe he may have planned to carry out an attack, Palatine police said.
His own co-workers sounded the alarm. They told police they had received concerning digital communications from Paporakis, including an eight-page document titled “Why I Fought: A.K.A. (Aurora Shooter’s Manifesto).” The document described Indian, Jewish and African American people as “subhumans” and outlined a plot to kill as many of them as possible, according to a court document obtained by the Associated Press. Co-workers said Paporakis openly identified as a white supremacist at work and told them he “couldn’t wait to kill Indian people.”
Investigators believe he planned to target the largest Hindu temple in Aurora, about 40 miles southwest of Palatine, though the exact intended location remains under investigation. Detectives who searched his home recovered a rifle, multiple loaded rifle magazines, hundreds of rounds of additional rifle ammunition, and a tactical vest containing body armor with a patch displaying imagery associated with white supremacist extremism.
Paporakis faces felony charges of making a terrorist threat and unlawful weapon possession. At a detention hearing Wednesday, a judge ordered him held; his next court appearance is October 30. The FBI is assisting the investigation.
Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily as the case moves through court.
Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.
