After police said a suspect’s vehicle entered the parking lot of an Aurora Hindu temple on Oct. 11, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi urged the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to focus on domestic extremism and expand hate-crime tracking. He said his family had been worshipping there that day.
Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat, said his family was worshipping at the Aurora temple on Oct. 11. In recorded remarks on Oct. 16, he called for a federal hate-crime investigation and urged the FBI to redirect resources toward domestic violent extremism. He also called for more detailed federal tracking of bias against people of Indian descent.
Palatine Police Chief William Nord said a red Acura RDX registered to Alexandros Paporakis, 19, entered the temple parking lot on Oct. 11 and left about 13 minutes later. Mount Prospect police received a report of concerning electronic communications that day, and officers arrested Paporakis later that day. Police said a search of his home recovered a rifle, loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of rifle ammunition, body armor and other tactical equipment.
Prosecutors allege Paporakis tried to fire a rifle before it malfunctioned. Nord said police had not confirmed the malfunction or where a video apparently showing it was recorded. Paporakis faces charges of making a terrorist threat and a weapons-related felony, and a judge ordered him detained.
In an interview published Oct. 20, ANI reported that Krishnamoorthi said he believed warning signs had been missed and questioned whether the FBI had devoted enough resources to detect such plots. Those remarks reflect his assessment of the case.
At an Oct. 15 briefing, Lucas Rothaar, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Chicago office, said agents and task force officers had coordinated with Palatine police since Oct. 11 and would continue to support the investigation.
The FBI’s hate-crime statistics include a category for anti-Hindu religious bias. Its published race, ethnicity and ancestry categories do not separately identify anti-Indian bias, and state and local law enforcement agencies submit data voluntarily. The Associated Press reported that temple leaders increased security and that Paporakis’ next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 30.
