U.S. authorities arrested a 19-year-old Taco Bell employee in Palatine, Illinois, who allegedly plotted to massacre Hindus at a place of worship, only for the plan to be foiled when his gun failed to fire. A manifesto believed to belong to the teen was later recovered by authorities and allegedly described his
dreams of committing mass murder.
Alexandros Paporakis is facing felony charges for one count of unlawful possession of a weapon and one count of making a terroristic threat, authorities announced on Wednesday, according to the
Associated Press. The arrest came after Paporakis' co-workers notified authorities of receiving concerning messages on Signal from the teen, which allegedly included photos of Paporakis in tactical gear, an AR-style rifle, and a document that detailed plans for a mass shooting.
Authorities believe Paporakis intended to carry out the alleged massacre on Sunday afternoon after a co-worker reported being told by him that it was going to be "a special day." Authorities suspect he planned to execute the attack alone and at a large Hindu temple located in Aurora, Illinois. They are still investigating the actual target location.
Paporakis' alleged mass shooting plot, which could have
easily resulted in the death of many, was supposedly thwarted when his gun got "jammed" before making a "super fast" escape to avoid being seen, the teen told his co-worker, the prosecutors said. According to surveillance footage, Paporakis' car reportedly entered the temple parking lot at 12:25pm and exited at 12:38pm before he returned to Palatine.
A search in Paporakis' home led authorities to recover an AR-style rifle bearing no serial number, tactical equipment, multiple loaded magazines, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Other items discovered include a gas canister with slurs directed at South Asians and multiple items associated with Nazi symbolism and white supremacist extremism, prosecutors said.
U.S. authorities arrested a 19-year-old Taco Bell employee in Palatine, Illinois, who allegedly plotted to massacre Hindus at a place of worship, only for the plan to be foiled when his gun failed to ...
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