A Cook County judge ordered the 19-year-old Palatine, Illinois, Taco Bell cashier held without bail on Wednesday after he was charged with plotting a racist mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Aurora, but the same order ensures that he will continue receiving hormone injections for gender transition while he sits in jail awaiting trial.
Alexandros Paporakis, a self-described white supremacist and neo-Nazi from Palatine, Illinois, was ordered held in custody by a Cook County judge on Wednesday, October 14, as he awaits trial on felony charges stemming from an alleged plot to massacre worshippers at a Hindu temple in Aurora.
But the judge also issued a healthcare order addressing the suspect’s ongoing medical treatment, including hormone injections associated with gender transition, according to the New York Post.
The order also addresses medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, and anxiety.
The ruling has brought renewed attention to the provision of medical treatment for defendants accused of violent crimes while they remain in taxpayer-funded custody.
Meanwhile, disturbing details emerging from the investigation suggest the alleged attack could have turned into a bloodbath if the suspect’s weapon had not malfunctioned.
According to prosecutors, Paporakis spent years fantasizing about carrying out mass murder and had allegedly identified the Hindu temple as a target months before the planned attack.
Investigators say the teenager traveled to the Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple in Aurora on Sunday, October 11, armed with an AR-style rifle.
Prosecutors allege that Paporakis attempted to fire at a man from a vehicle, but the rifle jammed, preventing the shooting.
The suspect allegedly fled the scene.
According to WBEZ Chicago, prosecutors say Paporakis had planned a mass shooting for approximately two years and had focused on the Hindu temple for the previous two months.
Even more chilling, prosecutors revealed that Paporakis allegedly circulated an eight-page manifesto titled Why I Fought: A.K.A. (Aurora Shooter’s Manifesto).
In the document, the suspect reportedly described himself as:
“a sociopathic white supremacist Neo Nazi filled with hatred, fantasizing about mass murder nearly every day.”
The manifesto allegedly expressed violent hatred toward Indians, Jews, and Black Americans, with plans to kill as many people as possible.
Authorities also revealed that Paporakis worked at a Taco Bell restaurant, where coworkers became alarmed by his extremist statements and increasingly disturbing behavior.
One coworker contacted authorities after receiving threatening communications about the alleged attack.
Police subsequently searched the suspect’s residence and recovered an unserialized AR-style rifle, loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, tactical equipment, and materials displaying Nazi symbolism.
Investigators also discovered a gas canister marked with an anti-South Asian racial slur, according to Reuters.
Paporakis now faces one count of making a terrorist threat, a Class X felony, and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon involving a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches, a Class 3 felony.
The FBI is assisting local authorities with the investigation.
The teenager’s next scheduled court appearance is October 30.
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