‘I don’t know how my family escaped': Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi chokes while revealing he was inside US temple during foiled attack

Indian-origin US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and his family were inside a temple in Illinois when an alleged foiled attack took place there on October 11. The Democrat fought back tears while recounting the incident at a news conference this past week, about the narrow escape from what could have been a massacre targeting Indian Americans, if the attacker's gun hadn't jammed. The Krishnamoorthis were at the Sri Venkateswara Balaji Temple in Aurora, Illinois.

How the temple attack was foiled

Alexandros Paporakis, a 19-year-old suspect from Palatine, was arrested after his co-workers alerted police about his alleged plans to carry out a mass shooting at the Hindu temple. Authorities later recovered a rifle, ammunition, tactical gear, and white supremacist propaganda material, including a manifesto, from his premises.

Krishnamoorthi reveals he was at the targeted temple with his family

Krishnamoorthi, addressing a news conference with fellow Democrats on October 16, revealed that he had been at the temple with his elderly parents to mark the beginning of Navaratri.

“Little did we know that a 19-year-old shooter was in the parking lot with an AR-15-styled weapon, as well as 300 rounds of ammunition in his car, waiting to commit a massacre,” he said.

Through his remarks, Krishnamoorti appeared to be fighting back tears.

"I don’t know how my family and others escaped…I don't know how the shooter's gun jammed", he said.
"I don’t know how I happened to be there, but I believe that one purpose was so I could be here to speak out about hate,” he said.

Reports said the suspect’s gun jammed, preventing the planned attack, with investigators finding evidence that he intended to return.

Earlier, in a statement issued on October 15, Krishnamoorthi said he was grateful to those who helped prevent a tragedy but warned that the threat could not be ignored.

“My family and I were worshipping at our Hindu temple in Aurora on Sunday when a white supremacist attempted a mass shooting targeting Indian Americans,” he said in that statement, posted on his X account.

Raja Krishnamoorthi’s call against hate

Krishnamoorthi urged Americans to confront the hatred and white supremacy behind the alleged plot.

"I'm grateful to those who helped prevent a tragedy, but we must come together to confront the hatred that put so many innocent lives at risk. 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,” he said in the X post.