NAPERVILLE, Illinois — Police in Naperville, a Chicago suburb with a large Indian American population, have added patrols at religious sites and are offering free security assessments to every place of worship that wants one, more than two weeks after an alleged plot to attack a Hindu temple in neighbouring Aurora was foiled, IANS reported on Wednesday, October 28, drawing on local broadcaster NCTV17.
Source: IANS, reporting NCTV17
Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres outlined the measures at an interfaith "Dialogue on Hate Crimes" held at Wesley United Methodist Church in Naperville. More than 50 people from at least seven faith communities attended the gathering, which was organised by United for Peace and the Naperville Interfaith Leaders Association.
"We have a group that will come in and does assessments of your places of worship," Arres told the faith leaders. "Everything from where you have cameras, if you need them, where you may even trim bushes or add lighting to keep [your facility] safe, all kinds of free things that we'll do to help the security of our community."
The chief also encouraged faith leaders to take part in the police department's free Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events course, known as CRASE, and told residents not to hesitate before calling for help. "If you see something suspicious, if you're worried about something, you're not bothering us, and it's okay to call 911 in those situations," he said.
The October 11 attack that was stopped
The dialogue was called after the alleged plot targeting the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora on October 11, the first day of Navaratri. Prosecutors allege that Alexandros Paporakis, 19, of Palatine, a self-identified neo-Nazi, tried to shoot a man outside the temple but his rifle jammed. ISKCON News, summarising the police account and Associated Press reporting, said the alleged plot was disrupted after a coworker alerted authorities to threatening communications, and that Paporakis was arrested on October 11 in an investigation involving the Palatine and Mount Prospect police departments and the FBI. The allegations against him have not been proven in court.
Source: ISKCON News
Investigators say an eight-page white supremacist manifesto attributed to the accused described violence against people of Indian descent at a Hindu house of worship. "The manifesto the shooter had expressed hate towards many communities and the Jewish community, African Americans, Indians, and others," said Shalini Gupta, a board member of United for Peace, at the Naperville gathering.
Paporakis faces state charges of making a terrorist threat and unlawful possession of a short-barrelled rifle, according to the Palatine Police Department, IANS reported. His next court date is October 30. No federal charges have been announced, and the US Justice Department's Civil Rights Division has indicated it is reviewing the case.
Source: IANS, reporting NCTV17
Two mayors, one message
Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli told the gathering: "There was an attempted attack on our residents, members of our community, who were at a Hindu temple in Aurora, by somebody who was full of hate and all sorts of ideas that our community just does not tolerate." He added: "I find it ironic that hate has brought us together here to have real community conversations, but those conversations have to continue not just when tragedies occur." Aurora Mayor John Laesch also attended.
For local families, the fear is personal. Saily Joshi, a Naperville resident, said: "To see that happen so close to home, it was scary — that's a temple that our family goes to." Rabbi David Eber of Congregation Beth Shalom said synagogues across America were already taking similar security measures, a point other faith leaders at the dialogue echoed for their own congregations.
Why this matters for the diaspora
Naperville and Aurora sit in Chicago's western suburbs, home to one of the largest Indian American communities in the Midwest, including Punjabi families whose temples, gurdwaras, mosques and churches are all covered by the same offer: a free police security assessment, extra patrols, and CRASE training for staff and volunteers. Community leaders at the dialogue said the practical help — cameras checked, dark corners lit, overgrown bushes trimmed — matters as much as the statements of support, because most places of worship are run by volunteers and have never had a professional security review.
Naperville congregations can ask the police department for a free on-site security assessment (cameras, lighting, landscaping), enrol leaders in the free Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events course, and call 911 about anything suspicious — Chief Arres said residents are 'not bothering us' by calling.
What happens next
Two dates now frame the case. A group of 105 members of Congress led by Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi — who was at the Balaji Temple with his family during the attempted attack — has asked FBI Director Kash Patel to say by October 29 whether the bureau is investigating the plot as a federal hate crime. And on October 30, Paporakis is due back in court on the state charges. Naperville's added patrols and assessment programme, meanwhile, are already in effect for any congregation that asks.
Source: ReportWire