US Lawmakers Urge FBI to Probe Foiled Aurora Hindu Temple Attack as Federal Hate Crime
WASHINGTON — The co-chairs of the US House India Caucus have asked the Department of Justice and the FBI to investigate the foiled mass-shooting plot at a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois, as a potential federal hate crime — turning the case into a test of how Washington handles rising hostility toward South Asian Americans.
In a letter sent Friday to Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel, Congressmen Ro Khanna (Democrat, California) and Rich McCormick (Republican, Georgia) demanded the case be investigated as "a potential federal hate crime" and asked that investigators "bring all charges supported by the evidence."
The alleged target was the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora, near Chicago. The suspect, 19-year-old Alexandros Paporakis, was arrested on charges of making a terrorist threat and unlawful possession of a weapon after authorities say he plotted a mass shooting at the temple. According to court filings reported by the Chicago Tribune, Paporakis wrote in an eight-page manifesto that he had "decided to target something that would give me pleasure to destroy," and prosecutors say he had been planning the attack for two years. The FBI recovered a rifle and what has been described as an anti-Indian manifesto, and the agency is now reviewing the case. So far, only state charges have been filed. His next court date is October 30.
Khanna and McCormick also pressed investigators to determine whether anyone "encouraged, assisted, or coordinated with the defendant," online or offline — signaling concerns the suspect may not have acted alone.
In their letter, the lawmakers said the plot "did not emerge in isolation but reflects broader, troubling trends." They cited FBI data showing an increase in reported hate crimes targeting Sikh, Hindu, and Buddhist communities in 2025, and pointed to a finding that anti-South Asian hate posts on X rose roughly 240 percent between January 2024 and June 2026. They also cited a 2026 Carnegie Endowment survey in which one in four Indian American adults said they had been called a slur since the start of 2025.
The lawmakers called for timely threat information to be shared with state and local law enforcement and with Hindu temples, Sikh gurdwaras, and other South Asian houses of worship — along with protective resources — and requested a briefing from the FBI and the Justice Department on threats facing Hindu and Indian Americans.
Democratic Representative James Walkinshaw of Virginia also backed a full federal investigation, saying "no one should ever have to choose between practicing their faith and fearing for their safety."
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