Chicago: A 19-year-old man accused of planning a mass shooting at a Hindu temple in suburban Chicago allegedly told his co-workers that he "couldn't wait to kill Indian people" and that Sunday would be the "special day," prompting them to alert police, according to prosecutors.

The accused, Alexandros Paporakis, was arrested on October 11 after authorities received information about his alleged attack plan. He faces felony charges of making a terrorist threat and unlawfully possessing a rifle. Investigators believe he may have visited the parking lot of Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora, Illinois, hours before his arrest. The temple is located around 40 miles west of downtown Chicago.

According to prosecutors, Paporakis told a co-worker on Sunday afternoon that his gun had jammed and that he had left the location quickly, allegedly promising to "retry" the attack. He also sent the co-worker a video showing an AR-style rifle and a photograph of himself wearing a tactical vest. The co-workers, who worked with Paporakis at a Taco Bell outlet, called 911 after hearing his alleged threats, and authorities subsequently arrested him near his home in Palatine.

Palatine Police Chief William Nord said a red Acura RDX registered to Paporakis entered the temple's parking lot around 12:25pm on Sunday and left less than 15 minutes later. Police said the specific location Paporakis intended to target was not confirmed and remains under investigation.

Prosecutors said Paporakis sent his co-worker an eight-page document titled "Why I Fought: A.K.A. (Aurora Shooter's Manifesto)" containing racist language targeting non-white people, describing them as "subhumans" and expressing a desire to "sacrifice myself to take revenge on the world." Prosecutors also said Paporakis described himself as a "sociopathic white supremacist Neo Nazi." During a search of his residence, detectives recovered an AR-style rifle without a serial number, multiple loaded rifle magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a tactical vest containing body armour, a patch depicting Nazi symbolism, and a gas canister labelled with a slur referring to South Asians. His mother was questioned by police but was not cooperating with the investigation.

The temple said the threat had targeted it and confirmed that additional security measures had been implemented. Illinois Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi said he had visited the temple on Sunday, unaware of the alleged threat, and called on the FBI to investigate and prosecute the matter as a hate crime. India's Ministry of External Affairs said it was "deeply concerned" by the incident and described its "anti-Hindu and racist nature" as particularly disturbing.

Paporakis appeared in court on Wednesday, where a judge ordered him to remain in detention. His next court hearing is scheduled for October 30. The Cook County Public Defender's office cautioned against treating allegations as established facts, saying: "This case is in the earliest stage of what will likely be a lengthy process."

Join on Rehaab Online WhatsApp Group (Click here to join the group)

Zaitoon Go opens new outlet in Al Wakrah, strengthening its branch network in Qatar