An Oct. 20 letter signed by 105 U.S. lawmakers asks the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to assess whether an alleged Illinois temple shooting plot warrants a federal hate crime investigation.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi led the request; Sens. Andy Kim, Chris Van Hollen, Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth also signed. The letter asks whether investigators are examining racial or ethnic and religious bias, possible assistance from other people or online platforms, and how authorities share threat information with houses of worship.
Palatine Police Chief William Nord said officers arrested Alexandros Paporakis, 19, on Oct. 11 after a person told police about concerning electronic communications that led officers to fear a possible mass shooting. Nord said a vehicle registered to Paporakis spent about 13 minutes that day in a Hindu temple parking lot in Aurora. Paporakis faces charges of making a terrorist threat and a weapons felony.
Krishnamoorthi’s office identified the site as Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) temple and said the congressman and his family were worshipping there. Police publicly identified the location only as a Hindu temple.
Krishnamoorthi’s office, citing prosecutors, said an alleged manifesto outlined violence against people of Indian descent. Nord said investigators recovered a rifle, loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and body armor at Paporakis’ home.
The office, citing prosecutors, also said a rifle jammed during an attempted attack. Nord said police had not confirmed a malfunction and could not determine where a video that might show one was recorded.
The FBI said it was assisting local investigators, but did not announce a federal hate crime finding at an Oct. 15 news conference. Krishnamoorthi had previously called for a federal hate crime investigation after the arrest.
The Center for the Study of Organized Hate counted about 542,360 posts expressing anti-South Asian hate on X from Jan. 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. Its report does not establish a connection between those posts and Paporakis. The lawmakers requested a written FBI response by Oct. 29.
