MEDIA DIGEST: CAIR-Chicago, SACRED Acts, AAAJC, JCUA, SALDEF, Sen. Villivalam, Aurora Mayor John Laesch & Leaders Condemn Hindu Temple Terrorist Plot
On October 15, 2026, CAIR-Chicago in a joint statement with SACRED Acts, the Sikh Coalition, SALDEF (Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund), and Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Chicago (AAAJC) for a joint press conference alongside community allies and elected officials, including State Senator Ram Villivalam and Aurora Mayor John Laesch.
Together, we condemned the failed white supremacist terrorist plot by 19-year-old Alexandros Paporakis, who has been charged with making a terrorist threat after allegedly planning a mass shooting targeting Hindu worshippers at an Aurora temple.
Additional speakers included:
- Pushkar Sharma — SACRED Acts Executive Director
- Ahmed Rehab — CAIR-Chicago Executive Director
- Anusha Thotakura — Chicago Board of Education Member, District 6A
- Rishab Chatty — Hindus for Human Rights
- Kalman Resnick — Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA)
- Litcy Kurisinkal — Indian American Democratic Organization Board Member (IADO)
- Nidhi Shastri — Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago (AAAJC)
We stand in unwavering solidarity with our Hindu brothers and sisters and all communities threatened by white supremacy, racism, and religious hatred. Terrorism and hate must be treated as such, regardless of the perpetrator’s race, religion, or background.
FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES, CONTACT: Hafsa Haider, CAIR-Chicago Communications Director, 561-317-7509, hhaider@cair.com; Joanna Klonsky
Joanna@JoannaKlonsky.com, (312) 307-0840, SACRED Acts
IN THE NEWS
SPEAKER HIGHLIGHTS
CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab urged the media to identify the suspect as an alleged “terrorist,” challenging double standards in coverage of Muslim, Black, and Brown suspects.
“Often times I'll hear things like ‘Aurora teen’ or ‘young man’ or ‘student’ and not ‘terrorist’,” Rehab said. “My call is to the media—when you report on this, that you call it for what it is.”
“But the fact remains that those acts are inspired by hate.”
Litcy Kurisinkal, board member of the Indian American Democratic Organization, warned against recording hate-motivated acts merely as vandalism, property crimes, or low-level misdemeanors.
She called for “proper classification of hate crimes and accurate documentation of hate crimes”—and legal responses that recognize the hatred behind these acts.
“We cannot be afraid as the voices of fascism grow louder.”
Aurora Mayor John Laesch called for solidarity against racism and fascism. Drawing on the community’s response to ICE raids, he urged residents to defend Indian American, Black, Asian American, and all communities he described as “under assault by the current administration in Washington.”
PHOTO GALLERY
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.
Our allies stood in solidarity to call for a thorough investigation, accountability under applicable terrorism and hate crime laws, and stronger protections for vulnerable communities and houses of worship.