CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, October 15, 2026 (BBC): A man has been arrested after an investigation into threats of a potential mass shooting that could have targeted a Hindu temple near Chicago. Alexandros Paporakis, 19, from Palatine, Illinois, appeared in court on Wednesday. He was charged with one count of making a terrorist threat and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon for possessing a rifle with a barrel less than 16in long, the BBC’s US partner CBS reports. Police said they found a manifesto in which Paporakis identified as a white supremacist and wrote about his hatred for non-white people.

Prosecutors said the defendant told a colleague on the phone that his gun jammed and sent messages showing an AR-style rifle, CBS reports. Other messages showed how the gun failed to fire when he pulled the trigger, and a photo of himself in a tactical vest, according to prosecutors. This colleague and another coworker from the Taco Bell where Paporakis worked called police on Sunday to report the incident. Palatine Police Chief William Nord said that officers “recovered a rifle, they recovered loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of rifle ammunition, as well as body armor,” while searching Paporakis’ home. Local Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, who was present at the temple when Paporakis first arrived, said he was “horrified” by the incident. In a statement posted on Facebook, he said: “Every American deserves to live and worship without fear, and we must stand together against hatred in all its forms.”

More at source
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqgm0j4kjvevo

See also:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/15/us/hindu-temple-chicago-arrest.html

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