NEW: Transgender Mass Shooting Plot Foiled By FBI

State and federal authorities in suburban Chicago on Thursday announced that they had arrested 19-year-old Alexandros Paporakis of Palatine, Illinois, on October 11 after a tip from a coworker thwarted an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Aurora. Paporakis, is currently receiving hormone injections as part of a gender-transition procedure, his attorneys revealed in court proceedings.

Paporakis, a Taco Bell cashier, faces one count of making a terrorist threat, a Class X felony, and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon. A Cook County judge ordered him held without bond, though a jail healthcare order was issued for treatment of ADHD, depression, and anxiety, as well as hormone injections related to gender transition.

According to prosecutors and police, Paporakis had planned an attack for approximately two years and focused on a Hindu place of worship in the Aurora area for about two months. On Sunday, October 11, a red vehicle registered to him entered the parking lot of a known Hindu temple around 12:25 p.m. and left roughly 13 minutes later.

Prosecutors stated that Paporakis told a coworker he had attempted to fire an AR-style rifle at a man from his car, but the weapon jammed. He reportedly messaged that the man was “certainly saved by his God today,” sent a video of the jammed rifle, and indicated he intended to fix it and return.

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Alexandros Paporakis was arrested in Illinois after he allegedly planned to carry out a mass shooting at a Hindu temple.

He is reportedly receiving hormone injections for his "gender transition," even while in custody.

Paporakis has been charged with making… pic.twitter.com/FqTrTABZyO

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) October 15, 2026

Surveillance and vehicle data placed him alone at the site. The precise intended location remains under investigation by some accounts, though the Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple, the area’s largest Hindu temple, alerted members to a security threat, and a temple receptionist told reporters it was the planned site. No shots were successfully fired, and no injuries occurred.

The plot came to light after Paporakis sent electronic communications to one or more Taco Bell coworkers, including an eight-page document titled “Why I Fought: A.K.A. (Aurora Shooter’s Manifesto).”

In the writings, he described himself as a “sociopathic white supremacist neo-Nazi” who fantasized about mass murder nearly every day. The manifesto expressed hatred toward Indian, Jewish, African-American, and other non-white people, referred to them in dehumanizing terms such as “subhumans,” and outlined plans to kill as many as possible.

Prosecutors said he told coworkers he “couldn’t wait to kill Indian people” and that Sunday would be a “special day.” He had also shared images of tactical gear with coworkers.

Palatine and Mount Prospect police, assisted by the FBI Chicago Field Office, located and arrested him near his home later that day as he was leaving. He is believed to have acted alone and lived with his mother, who has not cooperated with investigators, according to a report from the Chicago Tribune.

A search of his residence recovered a modified AR-style rifle without a serial number, multiple magazines, approximately 300 rounds of ammunition, tactical equipment including a vest with body armor and a patch displaying white supremacist or Nazi imagery, and a gas can labeled with a slur against South Asians. Electronic devices were also seized and are currently being examined at an FBI forensic laboratory.

“The public remains law enforcement’s greatest asset in disrupting acts of violence. I want to praise and offer my personal, sincerest thanks to the individual who stepped forward in many successful disruptions by law enforcement and potential acts of violence or terrorism attacks. It is a single, courageous member of the public who comes forward to prevent attacks,” FBI Chicago Field Office acting special agent in charge Lucas Rothaar said during a press conference Thursday.

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