New York, Oct 15 Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi on Thursday said he and his family were present in the Hindu temple in Aurora when a teenager attempted a mass shooting that failed due to a jammed rifle.
“I am horrified that a white supremacist attempted to carry out a mass shooting targeting Indian Americans at the Hindu temple in Aurora where my family worships. My family and I were there when the attack was attempted last Sunday,” Krishnamoorthi, the outgoing Democrat Congressman from Illinois, said in a statement.
He said the threat of such violence shows how dangerous anti-Indian hatred and white supremacy have become, and “we cannot wait until innocent people are killed to take these threats seriously.”
Alexandros Paporakis, 19, of Palatine has been arrested by authorities following an investigation into an alleged mass shooting plot. On October 11, the Palatine Police Department was contacted by the Mount Prospect Police Department regarding information it had received about a potential mass shooting.
Krishnamoorthi expressed gratitude to the suspect’s coworkers who alerted police, and commended the law enforcement officers who intervened. He added that people must come together to confront the hatred that put so many innocent lives at risk.
He said every American deserves to live and worship without fear, and “we must stand together against hatred in all its forms.
(PTI News)
