US Hindu temple attack plotter a trans neo-Nazi, planned shooting for 2 years

A 19-year-old man who plotted a now-foiled mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Aurora, spent two years planning an attack and identified himself as a white supremacist, a transgender and a neo-Nazi, according to a report by The New York Times.

The suspect, Alexandros Paporakis, who was arrested on October 11, had been focusing on a Hindu place of worship in Aurora, for about two months before the planned attack, prosecutors said. His plans were thwarted on October 11 when his AR-style rifle jammed as he attempted to shoot a man from a car, according to The New York Times. Aurora is about 40 miles (about 64 km) west of Chicago.

Paporakis, who worked as a cashier at Taco Bell, had told a co-worker that he had been planning an attack for two years and had been searching for a specific target in recent months, the report said. Court documents described his outward persona as a working college student as a facade concealing hatred and frequent fantasies about mass murder.

In an eight-page manifesto titled Why I Fought: A.K.A.: (Aurora shooter's manifesto), Paporakis described himself as a "sociopathic white supremacist Neo Nazi filled with hatred, fantasising about mass murder nearly every day", according to court records cited by The New York Times.

Prosecutors said he regularly made disparaging remarks about people of other races, particularly Indians, and described non-white people as "subhumans" in the manifesto. The document also outlined a plan to kill as many people as possible, according to court records.

HOW THE SHOOTING PLOT WAS FOILED

According to prosecutors, Paporakis drove to the area of the intended target on October 11 armed with an AR-style rifle. When he attempted to shoot a man from a car, the weapon jammed.

Paporakis later messaged a co-worker at a Taco Bell outlet in Arlington Heights, saying the man was "certainly saved by his God today", prosecutors said. He also texted another co-worker that the rifle had jammed and that he intended to "retry when I fix this".

Prosecutors said Paporakis had told a co-worker that the day was "going to be a special day" and had become increasingly agitated in the lead-up to the planned attack. Two co-workers alerted emergency services, and Paporakis was subsequently found in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Palatine, prosecutors said.

A search of his residence uncovered a rifle, magazines, around 300 rounds of ammunition, a gas can and items bearing Nazi imagery, according to court records.

Investigators believe the intended target may have been the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple, a prominent Hindu place of worship in Aurora. The precise intended location of the attack has not been conclusively established. However, a receptionist at the temple told The New York Times that the Sri Venkateswara Balaji Temple was the planned attack site.

SUSPECT TO REMAIN IN CUSTODY

Paporakis faces one count of making a terrorist threat and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon, specifically a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches.

A judge ordered him to remain in custody without bail while the case proceeds. The court also issued a healthcare order covering his hormone injections and other prescribed medications.

Paporakis is receiving treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression and anxiety, according to US media reports. He is due to appear in court again on October 30.

The case has raised concerns among Indian-American communities about anti-Indian racism and threats against Hindu places of worship in the US.

India's Ministry of External Affairs described the racist and anti-Hindu nature of the plot as particularly disturbing and called for vigilance against hate-motivated violence.

Paporakis has not been convicted of the charges.

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(with inputs from Subodh Kumar)