Teen held in Illinois over plot to open fire at Hindu temple near Chicago; rifle jammed

A 19-year-old man has been arrested in the United States on charges of plotting a mass shooting at a well-known Hindu temple in Aurora, about 70 km from Chicago. The plan was reportedly to carry out the attack on the eve of the Navratri festival. According to the allegations, when the accused pulled the trigger, his rifle malfunctioned and jammed, averting a massacre. The incident has caused fear and concern among Indians and Hindus living in the US.

According to local police, the suspect is Alexandros Paporakis, 19, a resident of Palatine, Illinois. He has described himself as a supporter of white supremacist and neo-Nazi extremist ideology. He is said to have been monitoring Hindu temples in the Aurora area for several days. Temples see large crowds of devotees during religious festivals, and he is alleged to have wanted to exploit the occasion to target as many people as possible.

After the attempt failed, the accused fled the spot. On Sunday he then messaged a colleague at a fast-food restaurant where he worked and asked the colleague to call him. During the phone conversation, he said he had gone to the temple to open fire but his rifle did not fire at all. He is also reported to have said, "This is the right time to kill Hindus and Indians, and I cannot stop now."

The colleague understood the gravity of the conversation and informed Mount Prospect police station without delay. Police then cordoned off the accused's home in Palatine and arrested him. He was produced before a county court in Rolling Meadows, where the judge ordered him to be held in custody until October 30. The next court hearing is also scheduled for October 30.

After the arrest, police searched the accused's home and recovered a semi-automatic rifle, loaded magazines, hundreds of live cartridges and bulletproof body armour. The body armour bore symbols and images linked to neo-Nazi and white extremist organisations. Officials also recovered a white supremacist manifesto that refers to violence against people of Indian origin.

The police administration told the court, "The seriousness of this threat is absolutely clear; had the gun not jammed, a great tragedy would have occurred."

Meanwhile, the Indian consulate in New York has taken the incident seriously. It has praised the promptness of US security agencies and local police. The US administration has stepped up security at all Hindu temples in the area and appealed to the Indian community to remain vigilant.