MEDIA ADVISORY: CAIR-Chicago, SACRED Acts, Sikh Coalition, SALDEF, AAAJC, & Partners to Hold 3 PM Press Conference on Foiled White Supremacist Terrorist Plot Targeting Hindu Temple
- For Immediate Release and Distribution -
(CHICAGO, IL, 10/15/2026) – The Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, will host a press conference TODAY at 3:00 p.m. CT, joining SACRED Acts and a coalition of interfaith and civil rights organizations to condemn an alleged white supremacist terrorist mass shooting plot targeting a Hindu temple in suburban Aurora, Illinois.
The press conference comes amid a documented surge in anti–South Asian hate and growing concerns about extremist violence.
Police later found a rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at the man’s home along with a manifesto that described Indian, Jewish and African American people as “subhumans.” The man, a self-proclaimed “white supremacist neo nazi” allegedly told coworkers that he "couldn’t wait to kill Indian people" and showed them a document outlining an alleged plan for the mass shooting as well as photos of tactical gear, AP reported.
WHAT: Joint Press Conference on Foiled White Supremacist Terrorist Plot and Rising Anti–South Asian Hate
WHEN: TODAY, Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 3:00 PM CT
WHERE: CAIR-Chicago Azima Center, 17 N. State Street, Suite 1500, Chicago, IL 60602
LIVESTREAM: Facebook.com/CAIRChicago
SPEAKERS:
Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director, CAIR-Chicago
Pushkar Sharma, Executive Director, SACRED Acts
Mayor of Aurora John Laesch
Anusha Thotakura, Chicago Board of Education Member
Rishab Chatty, Chicago Chapter Leader, Hindus for Human Rights
Kalman Resnick, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA)
Litcy Kurisinkal, Board Member, Indian American Democratic Organization (IADO)
Nidhi Shastri, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago (AAAJC)
CONTACT: Hafsa Haider, Communications Director, CAIR-Chicago, 561-317-7509, hhaider@cair.com; Joanna Klonsky, Joanna@JoannaKlonsky.com, (312) 307-0840, SACRED Acts
BACKGROUND: FOILED TERRORIST PLOT AND RISING ANTI–SOUTH ASIAN HATE
On October 11, 19-year-old Palatine resident Alexandros Paporakis allegedly attempted to carry out a mass shooting targeting Hindu worshippers in Aurora after reportedly planning the attack for two years. Police confirmed his vehicle entered the temple's parking lot before leaving after his rifle reportedly malfunctioned. Concerned coworkers alerted authorities, leading to his arrest. Paporakis faces felony charges of making a terrorist threat (Class X) and unlawful possession of a short-barreled rifle (Class 3). Investigators recovered hundreds of rounds of ammunition, Nazi imagery, and a white supremacist manifesto expressing hatred toward multiple minority groups. Read more via Associated Press.
The incident comes amid escalating anti–South Asian hate nationwide. A September 2026 Stop AAPI Hate report found that 48% of South Asian adults experienced a race-based hate act in 2025, while online slurs more than doubled since 2023. The Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) separately documented a 240% increase in monthly anti–South Asian hate on X between January 2024 and June 2026, alongside nearly 400,000 hateful mentions across fringe platforms including 4chan, 8chan, and Gab in 2025.
While no direct connection between the suspect and these platforms has been established, the alleged plot underscores growing concerns about white supremacist extremism and the potential for online hate to escalate into real-world violence.
CAIR-Chicago and its partners call for a thorough investigation, accountability under applicable terrorism and hate crime laws, and stronger protections for vulnerable communities and houses of worship.
CAIR-Chicago's mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote tolerance.
CONTACT: Hafsa Haider, Communications Director, CAIR-Chicago, 561-317-7509, hhaider@cair.com; Joanna Klonsky, Joanna@JoannaKlonsky.com, (312) 307-0840, SACRED Acts