‘Kill Indian People’: Foiled Hindu Temple Shooting Plot In Chicago Ahead Of Diwali Sparks Anti-South Asian Hate Fears

Chicago: A foiled mass shooting plot targeting a Hindu temple near Chicago has left the region’s South Asian community concerned about its safety as families prepare to celebrate Navaratri, Dussehra and Diwali. Community members are still committed to keeping their religious traditions alive, but the threat has led to more demands for better security and efforts to stop hate against South Asians. 

On October 11, people who worship were coming together at Hindu temples to start the festival of Navaratri.  Prosecutors said that 19-year-old Alexandros Paporakis went to the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora, Illinois. He stayed in the parking lot and then left without shooting anyone because his rifle stopped working. 

Paporakis was arrested later that day close to his home in Palatine, which is about 40 miles or 64 kilometers away, after a coworker at Taco Bell told the police about his supposed plan to "kill Indian people." 

He is being charged with a serious crime of making a terrorist threat and having a gun without permission.  He is set to go to court on Friday morning.

Hindu Community Steps Up Vigilance Ahead Of Diwali

The incident has cast a shadow over a period usually marked by religious gatherings, family reunions and celebrations. Navaratri, a nine-night festival dedicated to Goddess Durga, concludes with Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashami. Diwali, one of the biggest Hindu festivals, follows about three weeks later.

Avatans Kumar, a freelance columnist who occasionally visits the targeted temple, said the celebrations often include large gatherings, outdoor fairs and time spent with friends and family after the nine-night festival.

However, this year, security has become a major concern for the community.

“People are more vigilant now,” Kumar said. “People are looking for any signs of disturbance, keeping eyes and ears open.”

Asha Rao, executive director of The Chicago Kasam, a nonprofit that brings together members of the South Asian community, said the alleged plot had left people shocked and disturbed.

“A lot of us are just really appalled and just kind of disgusted,” Rao said, describing the threat as particularly upsetting during a time meant for families and friends to come together safely.

According to Rao, some community members have become more reluctant to leave their homes for celebrations. At the same time, she said, the incident has strengthened the determination of many to observe the festivals without allowing fear to take over.

She urged South Asians to recognise the community's progress and the relationships it has built, highlighting the importance of resilience during difficult times.

Calls Grow For Hate Crime Investigation

The alleged attack has also led South Asian leaders, both locally and nationally, to call for a more thorough watch into why the plan was carried out. Prosecutors stated that Paporakis claimed to be a white supremacist and neo-Nazi and used offensive terms and hateful speech towards Indians and other minority groups. 

US Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat whose district includes the temple that was targeted, previously told The Associated Press that he was “asking the FBI to look into and take legal action against this specific incident as a hate crime.” 

Community leaders want to find out if the planned attack is a hate crime and if more charges should be considered. 

Authorities found weapons, bullets, a gas canister with a rude term for South Asians, and other items with Nazi symbols during a search of Paporakis' home.  Investigators also found a long note in which he supposedly talked about his fantasies of killing a lot of people and wanted to harm as many non-white individuals as he could. 

For many people in the community, the event has brought back issues about the harmful effects of racist comments and bullying.

Rising Anti-South Asian Hate Fuels Concerns Over Safety

The alleged scheme takes place in the backdrop of broader concern regarding hostility towards South Asians in the United States. 

According to Stop AAPI Hate, which gathers reports of hate incidents targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the number of online anti-South Asian slurs rose by 109% from 2023 to 2025.  About half of the adult South Asian people surveyed reported that they had faced a hateful act because of their race, ethnicity, or nationality in the past year. 

Illinois has also experienced an increase in its South Asian population.  The South Asian American Policy and Research Institute estimates that the population was more than 242,000 in 2010 and grew to over 337,000 by 2020, making up about 2.5% of the state's overall population. 

The community's inhabitants have a history of experiencing bullying and racial discrimination, which has led them to question how hostility can be curtailed before turning into violence. 

Rishab Chatty, who leads the Chicago chapter of Hindus for Human Rights, said that hate against Hindus and South Asians is becoming more serious, moving from online places and schools into actual violent actions. 

“A lot of folks within my community are really questioning what it means to belong in a country that exercises hate and violence against them,” Chatty said.

As the holiday season approaches, locals are attempting to balance their concerns about security with their commitment to preserving religious and cultural practices.