New York, Oct 16 (IANS) Officials have assured the Indian and Hindu communities on Thursday that they have “zero tolerance” for those trying to prevent them from exercising their constitutional rights.
Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Chicago acting head Lucas Rothar said at a news conference in Palatine, “The FBI has zero tolerance for any acts of violence or threats made against the public, driven by those attempting to impose their hateful ideologies and trying to oppress or silence those who are living peacefully in our country and expressing their First Amendment rights”.
The US Constitution’s First Amendment guarantees religious freedom and the right to practice one’s religion.
A 19-year-old man, Alexandros Paporakis, who has called himself a “white supremacist Neo Nazi”, has been arrested after an alleged plot for a mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Aurora, about 70 kilometres from Chicago, failed when his rifle jammed, according to officials.
He had vowed to try again after fixing it, and the person in whom he confided tipped off police, who arrested him in nearby Palatine.
Officials said that an eight-page “manifesto” the man wrote was full of hatred towards Indians and Hindus and said that he planned to attack a temple.
Hindu and Indian organisations have condemned the mass-shooting plot in the midst of the Navaratri celebrations and warned against rising Hinduphobia.
The organisations, Hindu Mandir Empowerment Council, Coalition of Hindus of North America, and Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies, in separate statements, had asked authorities to take action against rising Hinduphobia and protect the community.
According to the FBI, the reported anti-Hindu hate crimes rose to 32 last year from 25 in 2024.
William Nord, the police chief of Palatine, where the white supremacist plotter was arrested, assured the community that there was no continuing danger.
“Based on the information developed during the investigation, we have not identified any known ongoing threats associated with the public and associated with this incident”, he said.
But he added, “I want to emphasise that the seriousness of this alleged threat cannot be overstated”.
Protecting “our communities and places of worship remains a priority for both the Palatine and Mount Prospect police departments”, he said.
Mount Prospect police received the tip from Paporakis’ co-worker about the plot and passed it on to Palatine authorities.
Nord said that as far as is known, Paporakis acted alone.
There are at least three temples in the area, but Nord refused to identify the one targeted by him out of “respect” for the community.
“We’re going to keep it as is, ‘It’s a known Hindu temple in the Aurora community’”, he said.
As the investigation proceeds, the co-worker who gave the tip has not been identified by name, even as he was praised by law enforcement.
Police only said the person worked with Paporakis at a restaurant of the national fast-food chain Taco Bell.
Nord said that surveillance videos showed “the offender’s” red Acura RDX car at the Hindu temple’s parking lot at about 12:25 pm on Saturday and left if 13 minutes later, and was traced afterwards near his home.
“It appeared that the offender was driving the vehicle and he was alone in the vehicle”, Nord said.
The co-worker told police that Paporakis told him on phone on Sunday that he had tried to shoot his gun there on Saturday, but it did not go off and he left “superfast”, planning to try again.
He said that the man had planned the attack over two years.
Some electronic devices were seized from his residence and the FBI Chicago Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory is examining them, he said.
Paporakis had no known criminal history or interaction with law enforcement, Nord said, adding, “We are expecting some information to come through on that as part of the investigation”.
He had been living in Palatine for about a year with his mother, who has not cooperated with the investigation, Nord said.
Paporakis was produced in a local court on Wednesday charged with making terrorist threats and weapons possession and remanded to custody till October 30.
–IANS
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