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Judge Orders Illinois Suspect Held Without Bond in Temple Plot

By Drooid · Oct 16, 2026, 2:57 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Paporakis Arrested Plot

U.S. authorities in Illinois arrested 19-year-old Alexandros Paporakis for plotting a mass shooting at Aurora’s Balaji Temple.
Taco Bell co-workers called 911 after he said he “couldn’t wait to kill Indians.”
Searches found an AR-style rifle, magazines, hundreds of rounds, a gas canister and Nazi patches.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi urged FBI prosecution as a hate crime while Aurora Mayor John Laesch increased temple security.

Summary

Paporakis Charged Terror

Cook County Judge ordered Paporakis held without bond.
The judge issued an order for Paporakis’s ADHD, depression, anxiety, and hormone therapy.
Prosecutors charged him with a Class X terrorist-threat felony and a Class 3 short-barrel rifle possession felony.
His next court appearance is set for Oct. 30 at 9 a.m. in Rolling Meadows.
Court documents reveal he planned the attack for two years, targeting it for two months, and investigators probe rifle’s source.

History

Historical Context

On April 19 1995 Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols detonated a truck bomb at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 and prompting the 1996 Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act and a surge in FBI hiring. The recent arrest of 19-year-old Alexandros Paporakis for a planned Aurora temple shooting led Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Mayor John Laesch to demand federal prosecution, mirroring the earlier law-enforcement response to domestic terror.

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Paporakis Arrested Plot

U.S. authorities in Illinois arrested 19-year-old Alexandros Paporakis for plotting a mass shooting at Aurora’s Balaji Temple.
Taco Bell co-workers called 911 after he said he “couldn’t wait to kill Indians.”
Searches found an AR-style rifle, magazines, hundreds of rounds, a gas canister and Nazi patches.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi urged FBI prosecution as a hate crime while Aurora Mayor John Laesch increased temple security.

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